ENGLAND 16-15 SCOTLAND

England Triumphs Over Scotland in Thrilling Calcutta Cup Encounter

Scotland’s Early Attack Stuns England, but Resilience Prevails

The game exploded into life from the very first whistle, with Scotland launching an audacious attack straight from their own 22. Duhan van der Merwe drew in defenders before releasing Blair Kinghorn, who in turn found Tom Jordan galloping down the left wing. A slick inside pass to Ben White saw the scrum-half race clear for his third Calcutta Cup try, stunning the English defence and setting the tone for a thrilling encounter.

England Fights Back with Tommy Freeman’s Power and Marcus Smith’s Accuracy

England, however, were in no mood to be overwhelmed. Almost immediately, they hammered away at Scotland’s defensive line, their forwards battering through phase after phase. The breakthrough came when winger Tommy Freeman powered his way over, his sheer determination dragging England onto the scoreboard. Marcus Smith’s conversion nudged England ahead 7-5 within ten pulsating minutes.

Tense Final Moments: Van der Merwe’s Late Try Almost Shakes England’s Lead

Scotland refused to be deterred. A lineout on halfway saw them shift the ball wide at speed, capitalising on England’s compressed midfield defence. The ever-dangerous Van der Merwe wreaked havoc down the left before the ball was recycled to Huw Jones, who gleefully touched down for his 16th Six Nations try—equalling the Scottish record. Finn Russell’s misfiring boot, however, kept England within touching distance at 7-10.

As the first half wore on, Scotland’s offloading game continued to stretch England, but Steve Borthwick’s men had their moments too. Just before the break, Ollie Lawrence surged through the midfield, threatening to turn the game on its head. England came within inches of a second try, but an ambitious offload from Lawrence sailed into touch, leaving the score 7-10 at halftime.

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England Holds Firm for First Twickenham Win Against Scotland Since 2017

The second half saw England introduce a raft of reinforcements, with experienced hooker Jamie George leading the charge. The shift in momentum was subtle but significant. England’s patience and discipline began to tell, as Marcus Smith punished Scotland’s mounting penalty count, slotting a straightforward three-pointer to level the scores.

With an hour gone, fly-half Fin Smith—born to Scottish parents but donning the white of England—delivered a moment of class, launching a pinpoint kick deep into Scottish territory. Scotland’s resistance faltered under relentless pressure, and after multiple infringements, captain Maro Itoje instructed Marcus Smith to take the points. England led 13-10.

England Clinch Thrilling Calcutta Cup Victory with Grit and Resilience, Ending Twickenham Drought

As tension mounted, Fin Smith produced the kick of his young international career, landing a monstrous 54-metre penalty to stretch the lead to 16-10 with ten minutes to play. With the Calcutta Cup slipping away, Scotland needed something special—and Van der Merwe delivered. Finishing off a breathtaking counter-attack, he dived over in the corner to set up a nervy finale.

It all came down to Russell’s conversion. Already having missed two, the Bath fly-half’s radar was off once again, leaving Scotland a single point adrift. Desperation saw the Scots keep the ball alive into the 83rd minute, but England’s pack held firm, wrapping up the ball in a maul to bring a gripping contest to its conclusion.

As Itoje hoisted the Calcutta Cup aloft, England finally ended their Twickenham drought against Scotland—claiming the prized silverware for the first time since 2017. A win built on grit, resilience, and clinical finishing, it may just be the spark England needed to ignite their Six Nations campaign.

Line-ups

ENGLAND

• Forwards: 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Maro Itoje (Captain), 5 Ollie Chessum, 6 Tom Curry, 7 Ben Earl, 8 Tom Willis.
• Backs: 9 Alex Mitchell, 10 Fin Smith, 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 12 Henry Slade, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 14 Tommy Freeman, 15 Marcus Smith.
• Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Ted Hill, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South, 21 Ben Curry, 22 Harry Randall, 23 Elliot Daly.

SCOTLAND

• Forwards: 1 Pierre Schoeman, 2 Dave Cherry, 3 Zander Fagerson, 4 Jonny Gray, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 6 Jamie Ritchie, 7 Rory Darge (Co-captain), 8 Jack Dempsey.
• Backs: 9 Ben White, 10 Finn Russell (Co-captain), 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 12 Tom Jordan, 13 Huw Jones, 14 Kyle Rowe, 15 Blair Kinghorn.
• Replacements: 16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Gregor Brown, 21 Matt Fagerson, 22 Jamie Dobie, 23 Stafford McDowall.

Stats

England (7) 16

Try: Freeman (9′)
Conversion: M Smith (9′)
Penalty: M Smith (56′, 67′), F Smith (70′)

Scotland (10) 15

Try: White (4′), Jones (19′), Van der Merwe (79′)

Man of the match: Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland)

Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)

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