Scotland Reclaim Calcutta Cup with Stunning 31-20 Bonus-Point Win Over England

Scotland reclaimed the Calcutta Cup in breathtaking style, shattering England’s winning streak with a 31-20 victory at a raucous Murrayfield. Orchestrated by the wizardry of Finn Russell and a clinical brace from Huw Jones, Gregor Townsend’s side defied the oddsmakers to dismantle their oldest rivals and reignite their Guinness Six Nations 2026 campaign.

Russell’s Magic Stuns England Early

After a disappointing outing in Rome, Scotland arrived with a point to prove, catching England cold with an opening quarter of sheer high-octane brilliance. Finn Russell settled nerves with an early penalty before the match swung violently in Scotland’s favor when Henry Arundell was sent to the sin bin for a professional foul.

With the man advantage, Russell entered “genius mode.” The fly-half dismantled the English blitz defense with a sublime one-handed flick to Huw Jones, who outpaced Maro Itoje to score. The onslaught continued minutes later when Sione Tuipulotu found Jamie Ritchie in space on the left wing, the flanker finishing with aplomb to stretch the lead to 17-0.

England finally found a foothold through their dominant scrum. George Ford’s delayed pass allowed a returning Arundell to cross the whitewash, but the reprieve was brief. A piece of opportunistic magic saw Russell kick through while falling, causing chaos in the England backfield. Ben White pounced on a loose ball after Ellis Genge slipped, sliding over for Scotland’s third try and a 24-10 half-time lead.

Arundell Red and Charged-Down Hopes

The contest took a dark turn for the visitors just before the interval when Arundell, already a marked man, took Kyle Steyn out in the air. A second yellow card resulted in a 20-minute red, forcing Steve Borthwick’s side to navigate much of the second half shorthanded.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, England’s pack hummed into gear. Ford chipped away at the lead with a penalty, and the visitors began to build sustained pressure in the Scottish 22. However, the turning point arrived when Ford attempted a drop goal to narrow the gap further. Matt Fagerson charged the kick down with a “bullet from a gun” intensity, scooped the ball, and fed Jones, who sprinted 60 metres unopposed for his second try of the evening.

Scotland Hold Firm as England Flunk Test

With a 31-13 lead and a bonus point secured, Murrayfield shifted into celebration mode. England emptied their bench, introducing the likes of Tom Curry and Theo Dan to search for a miracle, but the Scottish defense met them with “thunder on both sides of the ball.”

A late Ben Earl try, converted by Ford, provided a final consolation for the visitors, but it did little to mask an error-strewn performance from an England side that had arrived in Edinburgh seeking a 13th consecutive win. Instead, they were sent back to the drawing board by a Scotland team that found its clinical edge at the perfect moment.

Line-ups

SCOTLAND

15-Jordan; 14-Steyn, 13-Jones, 12-Tuipulotu (capt), 11-Dobie; 10-Russell, 9-White; 1-McBeth, 2-Turner, 3-Z. Fagerson; 4-Brown, 5-Cummings; 6-Ritchie, 7-Darge, 8-Dempsey.

Replacements: Cherry, Schoeman, Millar-Mills, Williamson, M. Fagerson, Horne, Hastings, Graham.

ENGLAND

15-Steward; 14-Roebuck, 13-Freeman, 12-Dingwall, 11-Arundell; 10-Ford, 9-Mitchell; 1-Genge, 2-Cowan-Dickie, 3-Heyes; 4-Chessum, 5-Itoje; 6-Pepper, 7-Underhill, 8-Earl.

Replacements: George, Rodd, Davison, Coles, Pollock, T. Curry, Spencer, F. Smith.

Sin-bin: Arundell (8′)
Sent-off: Arundell (38′)