Scotland 6-13 England: Six Nations 2020 – as it happened

Last modified: 07: 01 PM GMT+0

Ellis Genge drove over for the only try of the game as England won in apocalyptic weather conditions at Murrayfield

Match report: Scotland 6-13 England

Ellis Genge scored the decisive try as England edged a tense encounter played in truly appalling conditions at Murrayfield.

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Eddie Jones speaks: “I think it gave us the confidence to play the way we knew we’d have to play,” he says of his decision to have six forwards on the bench. “It was a classic Calcutta Cup game, with a swirling wind and a crowd who didn’t have much manners. I thought you were supposed to respect the kicker.” He is clearly unimpressed with those in the crowd who booed Owen Farrell as he was lining up kicks at goal.

Ellis Genge speaks: Asked to describe his match-winning try he says: “I don’t know, I can’t remember. It happened about 20 minutes ago.” He then goes on quite the rant about media critics writing the team and Eddie Jones off after England lost last week.

Gregor Townsend speaks: “To show what we did for the first 15 or 20 minutes in the second half was excellent,” Scotland’s head coach tells the BBC. “There was just that moment when England got in our 22 and got over. You’re better not having the ball in those conditions and getting points is very difficult.”

Scotland’s captain speaks: “We’re gutted with that,” says Stuart Hogg, looking on the verge of death from hypothermia. “The same as last week, I’m proud of the boys’ efforts but these things happen. We’ve done some good things in the past two games, but we’re here to win Test matches and so far we haven’t done that.”

Owen Farrell lifts the Calcutta Cup: He and his team-mates look like they can’t wait to escape to the sanctuary of the showers, but he does his duty and then summons the rest of the troops to pose for photos in the middle of the almost empty stadium.

George Ford carries the Calcutta Cup.
George Ford carries the Calcutta Cup. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

Updated

Sam Underhill speaks: “It probably wasn’t the prettiest of things but it probably came down to game management and things went our way,” he tells the BBC, as the perspex advertising hoarding behind him wobbles worryingly in the wind.

Full time: Scotland 6-13 England

England secure the win! They keep their Six Nations hopes alive, while Scotland’s are all but over. It was an intriguing, error-strewn game played in awful conditions and could have gone either way, but England did just enough to secure the win.

80 min Scotland 6-13 England: We’re in the final minute and Scotland need a converted try to draw this game. England are in possession, however and Ellis Genge tries to bulldoze his way up the field. The clock is in the red zone ...

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PENALTY! Scotland 6-13 England

78 min: Adam Hastings slots over a penalty to give Scotland faint hope, while Brian Moore awards the Man of the Match gong to England’s No7 Sam Underhill.

PENALTY! Scotland 3-13 England

77 min Scotland 3-13 England: Farrell, assisted by Genge again, makes no mistake. England lead by 10 points.

77 min Scotland 3-10 England: Blair Kinghorn drops a high ball and England win possession on the Scotland 22. Ben Youngs pops up a pass and Ben Earl, on off the bench, crashes into the tackle. England win a penalty straight in front of the posts on the Scotland 22. If this goes over, you’d think the jig is up for Scotland.

74 min Scotland 3-10 England: Scotland are in possession just inside their own half. Ali Price attempts a box-kick which is practically blown back into his arms. Another kick from Price sails out on the full. Scotland line-out on the halfway line.

73 min Scotland 3-10 England: Joe Launchbury comes on for England, replacing George Kruis.

Genge celebrates his try.
Genge celebrates his try. Photograph: Russell Cheyne/Reuters

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TRY! Scotland 3-10 England

70 min Relentless pressure from England after a solid scrum.Their forwards drive over and Ellis Genge looks to have grounded it one-handed, ably assisted by additional shoving from Tom Curry and Maro Itoje. It’s his second try for England and the extras are duly added.

England’s Ellis Genge touches down.
England’s Ellis Genge touches down. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images

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A try for England?

68 min Scotland 3-3 England: Stuart Hogg tries to pick the ball up under his own posts but it’s like a bar of soap and slips out of his grasp. He drops on the ball with his midriff, before it squirms out from under him and Owen Farrell touches down. The TMO decides Hogg carried the ball over the line before grounding it and the referee awards a five-metre scrum to England.

67 min Scotland 3-3 England: In the BBC commentary box, Brian Moore doesn’t think much of Ellis Genge’s attempt to holkd the ball up on the tee for that most recent kick. The prop took his finger off the ball before Farrell kicked it, but Moore, who used to do the job in his day, says you need to keep your finger on it, but not with so much pressure that you affect the trajectory of the ball.

England’s Owen Farrell prepares to kick as Ellis Genge holds the ball.
England’s Owen Farrell prepares to kick as Ellis Genge holds the ball. Photograph: Russell Cheyne/Reuters

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64 min Scotland 3-3 England: England win a penalty after Scotland are penalised for wheeling the scrum more than 90 degrees. Ordinarily, it would be a piece of cake for Owen Farrell, but this looks tricky in these horrible conditions. Ellis Genge is delegated to lie down on his stomach and hold the ball up on the tee with his finger, in the old school style. Farrell pulls the penalty wide and the scores remain level.

Updated

62 min Scotland 3-3 England: Youngs kicks the ball long towasrds the Scotland 22, where Sean Maitland gathers allow it to squirm out of his grasp in the tackle. England have possession in the Scotland 22. Scotland have replaced their props, with Allan Dell and Simon Berghan coming on.

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61 min Scotland 3-3 England: Scotland lose their seventh line-out of the game and Ben Youngs, on for Willi Heinz presumably, kicks for touch. He gets a sarcastic round of applause from the crowd as the ball bounces on its way out.

59 min Scotland 3-3 England: Scotland winger Sean Maitland gets behind George Ford to field a high ball, but knocks it on. England scrum halfway between the Scotland 22 and the halfway line. Elliot Daly kicks for touch and the ball sails out on the full again. The conditions are terrible, but the English players don’t seem to be adapting particularly well.

58 min Scotland 3-3 England: England keep kicking the ball out for touch on the full from tight angles, the wind repeatedly getting the better of them.

57 min Scotland 3-3 England: Elliot Daly kicks for touch from inside his own 22 after England win a penalty. Ellis Genge comes off the bench and Mako Vunipola gets to put his feet up.

56 min Scotland 3-3 England: More changes for Scotland: Chris Harris replaces outside centre Huw Jones. Ben Toolis comes on for second-row Scott Cummings.

54 min Scotland 3-3 England: Brilliant play from Hogg, who takes the ball in hand, ducks and dodges his way past two England defenders, turns Jonathan Joseph inside-out and then sends a low grubber kick out over the line.

Courtney Lawes is on for England, in place of Lewis Ludlam in the back row. Scotland reserve hooker Stuart Mcinally is on for Fraser Brown.

Scotland’s Stuart Hogg takes the ball forward in hand.
Scotland’s Stuart Hogg takes the ball forward in hand. Photograph: Russell Cheyne/Reuters

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51 min Scotland 3-3 England: England clear their lines with a long kick and Scotland have a line-out. Fraser Brown’s throw-in looks as crooked as a ram’s horn, but referee Pascal Gauzere let’s it go. England hooker Jamie George has had a few questionable throw-ins go unpenalised too.

49 min Scotland 3-3 England: Confusion and slapstick reigns in the English ranks as they struggle to control and deal with a fly-kick in behind. Jonny May eventually hacks it out of play, as Scotland appear to have the upper hand for the first time in this match.

47 min Scotland 3-3 England: An England line-out on the halfway line. Willi Heinz kicks long, but his kick for touch goes out on the full . He raises a hand by way of apology to his team-mates. Scotland line-out just inside the England half.

46 min Scotland 3-3 England: Adam Hastings bisects the post with a decent kick from a fairly straightforward position, albeit in ludicrously difficult conditions. It’s all square at Murrayfield.

44 min Scotland 0-3 England: Hamish Watson tunnels his way through a thicket of legs to within five or six yards from the English line. Scotland win a penalty just to the right of the posts after Sam Underhill fails to release the ball. They’re going to go for the points.

43 min Scotland 0-3 England: Scotland have the ball under the English posts, about seven yards from the try line. They move through the phases in the face of defiant English tackling.

42 min Scotland 0-3 England: More pressure from Scotland as they try to crash through the English defence. England are punished, Kyle Sinckler the culprit for not rolling away from the tackle and Scotland have a penalty in the English 22. They ought to kick for the corner or ask for a scrum. The opt for the former option and win themselves a line-out.

41 min Scotland 0-3 England: Sutherland the loose head prop breaks through the English defence and charges into the England 22, getting Scotland’s fans on their feet.

Second half: Scotland 0-3 England

41 min: After a first half in which the ball was kicked a total of 36 times – just under once a minute – play resumes. The wind is still blowing a gale and the rain is pelting down from the heavens. I remember, as a kid, playing rugby in those kind of conditions and it was a thoroughly miserable experience. England kick off with the wind at their back.

Earlier this afternoon, Ireland beat Wales in Dublin, earning themselves a bonus point in the process. Paul Rees was there for the Guardian.

Half-time: Scotland 0-3 England

England lead by the most slender of margins. In filthy, incredibly difficult conditions, England lead by Owen Farrell’s penalty after 10 minutes. “The playbook has been ripped up and it’s about thinking on your feet,” says BBC pundit Jeremy Guscott. “It’s not had structure, it’s not had shape,” says Martin Johnson, who is sitting alongside him.

40+1 min Scotland 0-3 England: England are penalised for an early push in the scrum and Scotland have a free-kick. In their subsequent surge up the field, Huw Jones is penalised for a knock on.

40 min Scotland 0-3 England: Scottish hooker Fraser Brown is penalised after his line-out throw-in fails to go five metres. Sloppy from Scotland - the wind isn’t that strong.

38 min Scotland 0-3 England: England line-out on the Scotland 22. There’s not a lot in this game, on the field or the scoreboard, but England’s superiority is quite apparent. George Ford tries with a fairly ambitious attempt at a drop goal, but sends his effort wide. It was worth having a go as he didn’t miss by much.

37 min Scotland 0-3 England: Scotland scrum, just outside their own 22. Hastings boots the ball long and Jonny May catches it comfortably. England are in possession on the halfway line.

35 min Scotland 0-3 England: Hogg tries and fails to find touch in the corner and Jonny May boots it back into the Scotland half.

34 min Scotland 0-3 England: The ball’s kicked high, but Stuart Hogg catches reasonably tidily under his own posts. He’s tackled, but feeds the ball to Adam Hastings, who finds touch with a long kick.

Scotland’s Stuart Hogg fumbles the ball.
Scotland’s Stuart Hogg fumbles the ball. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

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33 min Scotland 0-3 England: A handling error from Fraser Brown, who drops the ball, giving England a scrum.

31 min Scotland 0-3 England: Referee Pascal Gauzere gives both sets of forwards another lecture as he resets the scrum. Scotland win their own scrum and Ali Price sends Blair Kinghorn on his way again.

29 min Scotland 0-3 England: Adam Hastings catches an attempt to kick for the touchline from George Ford and finds touch on the halfway line. Jamie George is penalised for not throwing the ball in straight. “That’s my bad, lads,” he says by way of apology to his team-mates. The ball is soaking wet and the wind is high, which is making life difficult for the hookers at line-out time.

29 min Scotland 0-3 England: Not for the first time this evening, Scotland lose their own line-out, gifting possession to England.

27 min Scotland 0-3 England: The wind gets the better of Owen Farrell again. He pushes his penalty attempt wide of the far upright.

24 min Scotland 0-3 England: Elliot Daly gallops down the left flank with ball in hand, before being tackled by Ali Price. England subsequently win a penalty when Sam Underhill wins his side a penalty.

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24 min Scotland 0-3 England: A long, long kick from Ali Price almost sails over the head of Jonny May in his own 22, but the England winger leaps to catch athletically.

22 min Scotland 0-3 England: A high kick from Ford hangs in the wind, but Adam Hastings catches comfortably when it eventually deigns to drop from the sky.

21 min Scotland 0-3 England: Scotland win a penalty just inside their own half and Zander Ferguson drives forward. Moments later, Kinghorn makes about 20 metres with a powerful run, but England stop him in his tracks turn it over again.

20 min Scotland 0-3 England: The weather at Murrayfield is getting increasingly foul, the rain now hammering down and the wind blowing hard.

England’s Willi Heinz kicks the ball away as the conditions deteriorate.
England’s Willi Heinz kicks the ball away as the conditions deteriorate. Photograph: Scott Heppell/AP

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17 min Scotland 0-3 England: Referee Pascal Gauzere orders a re-set, muttering something about “pre-engaging” to the forwards from both teams. After another re-set, England are awarded a free kick. I have no idea why and on the BBC commentary team, former England hooker Brian Moore hasn’t either.

16 min Scotland 0-3 England: Scotland have the ball 10 yards from the England line. The maul collapses and England are given the scrum.

14 min Scotland 0-3 England: George Ford kicks for touch from the middle of the park, but his kick into the wind doesn’t travel too far before bobbling over the touchline.

12 min Scotland 0-3 England: A high ball from Willi Heinz is fielded on the touchline by Kinghorn. Scotland have the ball and Magnus Bradbury takes it towards the English 22. He’s brought to ground and play goes back to the halfway line for a Scottish penalty. A high tackle by Maro Itoje on Heinz earns them the kick, but it wasn’t serious enough to merit a yellow card.

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10 min Scotland 0-3 England: Scott Cummings is penalised for not rolling away from the tackle and England win another penalty in a similar(ish) area to the last one but much nearer the posts. Farrell decides to take it on and makes no mistake this time.

Owen Farrell kicks the penalty.
Owen Farrell kicks the penalty. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

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9 min Scotland 0-0 England: Kicking into the wind, Farrell’s penalty attempt fails to reach the posts and was drifting wide of the far post anyway. Blair Kinghorn catches it and kicks away.

8 min Scotland 0-0 England: England win a penalty when Scott Cummings commits some manner of infringement or other at the breakdown. I think he went off his feet. Owen Farrell is going for the three points about 40 metres out, 10 metres the far touchline.

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6 min Scotland 0-0 England: Elliot Daly looks to be offside on the touchline as he waits under a highball from Owen Farrell, but plays go on. The ball goes out for a Scotland line-out 10 metres from their own 22.

5 min Scotland 0-0 England: After taking a big hit while fielding the ball from the kick-off, Jonny May ships another one from Blair Kinghorn.

4 min Scotland 0-0 England: Another penalty for England as Scotland fail to move when ordered to by the referee during a line-out. The ball’s hoisted high in the air and almost blows backwards. England are playing into a strong wind.

2 min Scotland 0-0 England: Scotland head into double figures as they go through the phases, but don’t make much ground. This is stout defending from England, who win a penalty deep inside their own half.

1 min Scotland 0-0 England: Scotland are in possession on the edge of the English 22 with Zander Fagerson in possession. Maro Itoje brings him to ground.

Scotland v England is go!

1 min Scotland 0-0 England: Scotland get the ball in the air and play is under way.

Flower of Scotland: The pipers stop midway through Scotland’s anthem, leaving it to the crowd to do the remaining heavy lifting. As is customary, they do their team proud. Kick-off is just moments away.

Correction: The wind has materialised and despite their tight fit, the tracksuit tops of the England players are visibly flapping as they stand for their anthem.

The England team huddle before the match.
The England team huddle before the match. Photograph: Russell Cheyne/Reuters

Updated

The weather: The flags in the stadium are flapping in the wind, but not too vigorously. The awful weather forecast earlier in the week hasn’t materialised ... yet although winds of over 50 miles per hour are still expected before the evening is out.

Not long now: Stuart Hogg and Owen Farrell lead both sets of players out on to the Murrayfield sward, to a booming soundtrack being played over the PA rapturous reception from the crowd. They line up to be presented to the patron of the Scottish rugby football union, Anne the Princess Royal, who stands at the entrance of the tunnel waiting for the music to conclude. Ah, here she comes to bagpipe accompaniment, passing the Calcutta Cup trophy on the way ...

Eddie Jones speaks: In an interview with the BBC’s Sonia McLaughlin, England’s head coach insists that he picked the right team to face France last week was the right one for the job. He also insists wing forward Tom Curry is the right man to play at the base of the scrum for England, rather than a bona fide No8. He insists Curry has the “potential” to become a great No8 and says he is willing to take the hit if England continue losing matches as Curry develops in his new role.

Eddie Jones and Owen Farrell
Eddie Jones and his skipper Own Farrell discuss tactics before the game. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

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Ireland see off Wales in Dublin: Ireland have followed up last week’s unconvincing win against Scotland with a more emphatic performance against the defending champions at the Avivia Stadium. They ran out 24-14 winners, although Wales Hadleigh Parkes had a try ruled out by the TMO after failing to ground the ball properly following a burst through the Irish defence and a desperate one-handed stretch for the line.

Hadleigh Parkes
Hadleigh Parkes was unable to ground the ball properly after losing control of it as he stretched for the line. Photograph: Bryan Keane/INPHO/REX/Shutterstock

Column: Eddie Jones does not have the players to simply blast through Scotland, so guile and speed will have to be to the fore, writes the former England international Ugo Monye.

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England v Scotland
England players Joe Marler (left) and Ben Youngs flank their head coach Eddie Jones. Photograph: Malcolm Mackenzie/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock

Scotland arrive at Murrayfield
Stuart Hogg of Scotland leads his squad from the team coach as they arrive at Murrayfield. Photograph: Alan Rennie/Action Plus/REX/Shutterstock

Today’s match officials

Referee: Pascal Gauzere (France)

Assistants: Mathieu Raynal (France) and Federico Anselmi (Argentina)

TMO: James Leckie (Australia)

Nigel Owens and Pascal Gauzere
Pascal Gauzere (right, alongside Nigel Owens) will be in charge of maintaining order at Murrayfield. Photograph: Aaron Favila/AP

There’s a storm coming ...

With Storm Ciara approaching from the west and forecast to hit Edinburgh around about kick-off time, conditions are expected to be extremely unpleasant for all involved on the pitch in Murrayfield.

Presumably aware that this match is likely to be settled up front by the forwards, Eddie Jones has loaded his bench with six scrummagers, while forecast winds of up to 70 miles per hour could wreak all sorts of havoc for players under high, dropping balls.

With Anthony Watson still injured, George Furbank keeps his place at full-back following a torrid debut against France last week. The atrocious weather should prove a stern test of the 23-year-old’s mettle.

Scotland v England line-ups

Scotland: 15-Stuart Hogg (c), 14-Sean Maitland, 13-Huw Jones, 12-Sam Johnson, 11-Blair Kinghorn, 10-Adam Hastings, 9-Ali Price; 1-Rory Sutherland, 2-Fraser Brown, 3-Zander Fagerson, 4-Scott Cummings, 5-Jonny Gray, 6-Jamie Ritchie, 7-Hamish Watson, 8-Magnus Bradbury.

Replacements: 16-Stuart McInally, 17-Allan Dell, 18-Simon Berghan, 19-Ben Toolis, 20-Nick Haining, 21-George Horne, 22-Rory Hutchinson, 23-Chris Harris.

England: 15-George Furbank, 14-Jonny May, 13-Jonathan Joseph, 12-Owen Farrell (c), 11-Elliot Daly, 10-George Ford, 9-Willi Heinz; 1-Mako Vunipola, 2-Jamie George, 3-Kyle Sinckler, 4-Maro Itoje, 5-George Kruis, 6-Lewis Ludlam, 7-Sam Underhill, 8-Tom Curry.

Replacements: 16-Tom Dunn, 17-Ellis Genge, 18-Will Stuart, 19-Joe Launchbury, 20-Courtney Lawes, 21-Ben Earl, 22-Ben Youngs, 23-Ollie Devoto.

England team news

Townsend’s England counterpart Eddie Jones has made five changes to the team that got turned over by France last Sunday, with Willi Heinz coming in at scrum-half in place of Ben Youngs, who drops to the bench. The Gloucester No9 will make his first Six Nations start at Murrayfield.

With Leicester’s Manu Tuilagi ruled out with a groin injury, Bath’s Jonathan Joseph starts at outside centre, while Saracens duo Mako Vunipola and George Kruis, and Leciester’s Lewis Ludlam come into the pack.

Scotland team news

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has made just one change to the team that was a little unlucky to lose in Dublin last weekend, bringing in No8 Magnus Bradbury for his Edinburgh team-mate Nick Haining.

Fly-half Finn Russell remains banished from the squad after missing a training session following a night on the ale in the build-up to their game. He has been told his situation will be reviewed by Townsend some time next week, although the Guardian’s Andy Bull reports that the Scotland coach is believed to be waiting for a proper apology from his gifted No10. In Russell’s ongoing absence, Adam Hastings will play at out-half.

Six Nations: Scotland v England

Having lost their respective Six Nations openers last weekend, both sides are desperate for the win required to keep their title hopes alive.

While Scotland need no added motivation to beat their most bitter rugby rivals, they have been given plenty by England head coach Eddie Jones, whose arrogant pre-match pontificating will have raised hackles north of Hadrian’s Wall.

The weather forecast is dire which means the rugby may not be too pretty, but an extremely eventful and entertaining evening seems assured at Murrayfield regardless of the quality. Kick-off is at 4.45pm (GMT), but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.

Contributor

Barry Glendenning

The GuardianTramp

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