Scotland 31-20 England: Six Nations Murrayfield player ratings

Scotland 31-20 England: Six Nations Murrayfield player ratings

Scotland

Tom Jordan Solid under high ball, did his bit in a cohesive attacking display from Gregor Townsend’s fluent backline. 7

Kyle Steyn Profound threat with powerful, direct running – and he kept coming all game. Quite a contrast between his scintillating performance and Henry Arundell’s. 9 Player of the match

Huw Jones Ran the length for decisive try after George Ford was charged down. Confident early finish helped establish home supremacy. 8

Sione Tuipulotu Typically punishing and direct carrying into contact combined with smart leadership. Ushered Arundell off stage with protestations to the referee. 7

Jamie Dobie Not as influential or dangerous as Steyn on the other wing but he still produced a couple of big moments. 7

Finn Russell Class. Brilliant tap-on for Jones’s opener and accurate place-kicking helped build lead. Stunning jinking run and clever kick created third try. 9

Ben White Excellent box-kicking combined with slick distribution was crucial in Scotland’s early salvo. Set tempo alongside the accomplished Russell. 7

Nathan McBeth Impressive around the field on first Six Nations start, contributed to the hosts’ important first quarter. Life was more difficult at scrum. 6

George Turner Some determined work at the breakdown but none of the front-rowers got Scotland moving forward at the set piece. 6

Zander Fagerson Dominated in scrums. Withdrawn early after a pummelling from Ellis Genge and company but brought his physicality in the loose. 6

Gregor Brown Justified his introduction to the second row. Set piece was far from ideal but mucked in to press England back. 6

Scott Cummings Unaffected by loss of his regular lock partner, Grant Gilchrist, after the flop in Rome. Key contribution to maul defence before half-time. 7

Jamie Ritchie Applied simple early finish on the wing. Teamed up with Rory Darge to keep England on the back foot at the breakdown. 7

Rory Darge Drove at heart of English defence with powerful attacking carries and put his body on the line at the other end. 8

Jack Dempsey Solid, composed, physical. Played a full part in a high-class performance from the Scottish pack that they badly needed. 7

Replacements: Matt Fagerson (for Ritchie ht) Crucial chargedown on Ford when England were threatening to apply some serious scoreboard pressure 9; Pierre Schoeman (for McBeth 49) Could not overturn England’s scrum supremacy. 6; Dave Cherry (for Turner 51) Busy around the park, nearly got over for a try. 8; Elliot Millar Mills (for Z Fagerson 51) Contributed well in attack and defence after appearing off the bench. 8; Max Williamson (for Dempsey 58) Solid after coming on. 6; George Horne (for White 59) Decent distribution. 6; Darcy Graham (for Jordan 69) Huge tackle on Freddie Steward in the closing minutes and some bright running. 8; Adam Hastings (for Dobie 76) n/a.

Henry Arundell was shown a yellow card before seeing red later on. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

England

Freddie Steward Fulfilled job description: solid if unspectacular. One handy interception but scant chance to make attacking impact and hammered into touch by Darcy. 6

Tom Roebuck Sloppy handling error when England were searching for a bonus point. Arguably caught out for one Scotland try, just couldn’t get involved. 5

Tommy Freeman Costly early defensive misread followed by big carry for England’s first try; generally a frustrating afternoon against high-class midfield opponents. 5

Fraser Dingwall Little front-foot ball to work with. His craftiness counted but outshone by Jones and the Scotland captain, Tuipulotu. 6

Henry Arundell Credit for good early tackle but subsequent failure to release led to loss of 14 points during his sin-bin period. Second offence was foolishly reckless. 3

George Ford Careless when charged down at a crucial time when attempting a drop goal. Prompted intelligently with his distribution but an indifferent day overall. 5

Alex Mitchell Mostly positive afternoon in attack and defence, kicked competently but unable to turn the tide. Expensive knock-on after a sniping run. 7

Ellis Genge Made his presence felt in scrums and the loose but calamitous defensive bungle allowed White in to score before half-time. 6

Luke Cowan-Dickie Typical no-arms tackle gave away a needless penalty but showed his experience around the park while scrummaging and throwing well. 6

Joe Heyes Hit hard in defence and helped to establish England’s ascendancy in the scrums. A growing influence on the game. 7

Maro Itoje Far from his most impactful afternoon in an England shirt. One costly knock-on but generally efficient. 6

Ollie Chessum Big target at the lineout, massive work rate and combines technique, power and desire. Superb interception before half-time. 9

Guy Pepper Plenty of effort, as is to be expected, but the Bath flanker was unable to stem the Scottish tide. 6

Sam Underhill Performed a decent job to tidy up some messy lineout ball at one point but hooked early by Steve Borthwick. 5

Ben Earl Carried purposefully, brought energy and kept Scotland’s tacklers honest. Contributed to the scrums and less sexy stuff. Deserved his try. 7

Replacements: Tom Curry (for Underhill ht) Introduced at the break but could make little difference overall. 6; Jamie George (for Cowan-Dickie 57) Tried his best but the die had been cast. 6; Bevan Rodd (for Genge 57) Gave away a scrum penalty. 5; Fin Smith (for Arundell 57) Joined for final quarter but little ball to work with. 6; Henry Pollock (for Pepper 57) Joined long list of culprits who wasted promising possession with a knock-on. 5; Alex Coles (for Itoje 58) Unable to make his presence known. 6; Trevor Davison (for Heyes 68) Did his job but match was gone. 6; Ben Spencer (for Mitchell 69) Struggled to make any impact. 5

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