Scotland ratings: England edge Scots in stormy Six Nations battle as Hogg slips up but Hastings impresses
SCOTLAND surrendered their grip on the Calcutta Cup for the first time in three years as England won 13-3 at Murrayfield in the Six Nations.
Eddie Jones’ men edged a tight contest played out in horrific conditions amid Storm Ciara.
Scottish skipper Stuart Hogg will again rue a costly mistake after last week’s howler in Ireland as his error gave England the scrum from which the Red Rose grabbed the game’s only try.
SunSport’s Josh Graham hands out his verdict on the Scottish performances in Edinburgh.
Stuart Hogg 5
Impressed until he gifted England the perfect platform to score the the game’s only try after failing to deal with a bouncing George Ford kick. For consecutive weeks it was head-in-hands time for the new Scottish skipper.
Sean Maitland 5
Finally sauntered into view midway through the second half, only to knock the ball on multiple times. Not the day to be a winger.
Huw Jones 5
Not the conditions for his free-running game. Dropped the ball on half-time as Scotland had a chance to get on the board. Seemed to be struggling before being subbed off 15 minutes after the break.
Sam Johnson 6
Said in the week he did not care for the English and you could see why when he came smashing through on Owen Farrell in the first half.
Blair Kinghorn 6
Beat three defenders with a mazy first half run but gave England crucial field position late on after dropping a high ball.
Adam Hastings 7
Buoyed by an impressive showing in Ireland last week, took his chances off the kicking tee.
Ali Price 7
Very vocal performance – tracked back well to make important tackles. Outplayed his opposite man Willi Heinz but it was ultimately not enough.
Rory Sutherland 7
Went marauding into English territory with a barnstorming run straight after the interval which eventually led to Scotland levelling the match.
Fraser Brown 5
A nightmare day for hookers and Brown could not buck the trend.
Zander Fagerson 5
One of many who knocked-on in the stormy conditions. Failed to impose himself at scrum time.
Scott Cummings 6
Made metres when carrying the ball into contact but was unable to stop the rot at the line-out.
Jonny Gray 6
Carried and tackled tirelessly as usual, part of a Scottish line-out that folded in the storm.
Jamie Ritchie 6
Plenty of endeavour but lost the breakdown battle to the Kamikaze kids.
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Hamish Watson 7
Relentless tackling from one of Scotland’s most reliable players but edged out by man of the match Sam Underhill.
Magnus Bradbury 6
Not at his destructive best but showed enough promise on his return to the side.
Replacements:
McInally 5 (on for Brown, 51), Dell 6 (on for Sutherland, 59), Berghan 6 (on for Fagerson, 59), Toolis 6 (on for Cummings, 55), Haining 6 (on for Bradbury, 74), Harris 6 (on for Jones, 55).
Unused: Horne, Hutchinson