Scotland v England LIVE: Result and reaction from Six Nations
Scotland 30-21 England: Duhan van der Merwe’s sublime hat-trick helped Scotland to a historic fourth straight win in the Calcutta Cup
Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing
Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news
Duhan van der Merwe scored a superb hat-trick as Scotland rugby beat England rugby 30-21 at Murrayfield to claim a fourth successive Six Nations win in the fixture for the first time since the 1890s.
England, seeking a third Six Nations win for the first time since 2020, led through a George Furbank try after five minutes and looked in control, only for Van der Merwe to strike twice to help the hosts to a somewhat flattering 17-13 half-time lead.
The winger, who scored two superb tries in Scotland’s victory at Twickenham last season, collected a Finn Russell kick three minutes into the second half for his third, and two Russell penalties stretched Scotland’s lead to 30-16.
England emptied their bench and replacement wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso grabbed their second try after 66 minutes but, unlike in their opening wins over Italy and Wales, they could not complete the comeback as Scotland claimed their second victory having agonisingly lost to France last time out.
Relive all the action from Murrayfield below:
England equipped to deal with ‘anything that’s thrown at us’
England are confident they have the composure to cope with any mind games played by Scotland in Saturday’s Calcutta Cup clash.
“There’s a resilience in us, for sure,” said Earl, who is set to continue in the back row when Steve Borthwick names his team on Thursday afternoon.
“There is a good group of experienced players in this team now – Jamie (George), George Ford, Joe Marler, Dan Cole, Ellis Genge. Those guys are all different characters, but they’ve seen all the curve balls in the past.
“And then you’ve also got a group of lads who might not have played a load of Test rugby but who have played a lot of club rugby in some great games and in some great stadiums.
“So I’d say the group, in terms of expectation, is probably as prepared as any to deal with anything that’s thrown at us.”
Danny Care is not done yet – England’s great survivor on Scotland and newfound ‘freedom’
The shadows may be lengthening for Danny Care as he dances in his international twilight but the scrum-half has lost little of his trademark spark.
With a cheery grin and a wry comment or three, he bounces into a room at England’s Pennyhill Park training base, fresh off the training paddock. “Fancy this,” Care quips, looking out on the dipping afternoon sun and back on a career on which it seemed to have twice set.
With Alex Mitchell injured, there’s every chance of a start against Scotland on Saturday that will be his first in the Six Nations for six years. It will be a 99th England cap in total – and the crepuscular Care isn’t done yet.
Danny Care is not done yet – England’s survivor on Scotland and ‘freedom’
Interview: The veteran scrum-half is set to win his 99th cap against Scotland on Saturday as he continues to write an unexpected final chapter in his England career
Danny Care on Scotland and newfound ‘freedom’
If his axing in 2019 before the World Cup left a slim chance of a recall, then a second unedifying dumping, after a surprise recall for the 2022 tour of Australia, appeared to have slammed the book shut for good. But Steve Borthwick brought him back for a final chapter in England white ahead of the World Cup, and Care responded by re-establishing himself in the buzzing bench role for which he has always been so well suited.
“I never gave up on playing for England for the opportunities to play in games like this,” he says of a fixture which England have won only once in six years. “It doesn’t get much bigger than the Calcutta Cup up in Murrayfield, whether it is your first time out there or, for me, your 99th time playing for England.
“It is never easy up there, they make everything difficult from the bus ride in, with the bagpipes to slow you down to make you walk a bit further, but I love it. I love stepping off the bus there and hearing the passion their supporters have and what it means to them. I am dying to get up there and experience that, probably for the last time.”
England and Scotland face fork in the road with Calcutta Cup set to define their Six Nations
“There’s certainly going to be some niggle,” predicted Kevin Sinfield, a smile spreading almost involuntarily across his face. England’s assistant coach may not be as versed in the Calcutta Cup rivalry as some on Steve Borthwick’s staff, but the ex-rugby league star has learned quickly what this fixture means, a tussle of thistle and rose so often appropriately thorny.
“When you’ve got two angry, nasty forward packs wanting to go at each other, there’ll be some niggle,” Sinfield expanded. “It’s a Test match, there’s a lot at stake, we haven’t won against them for a number of years – no doubt there’ll be some niggle.”
For England, this trip north feels like a game of paramount importance. It is four years since they last swigged the sips of success from the old silver chalice, and seven since they put on a performance to be proud of in this fixture. The middle weekend is the natural Six Nations pivot point but England’s path from here will be significantly rockier if their rough recent run does not end. Win and they’ll carry momentum through to a demanding two-week coda in which performances may matter more than results; lose and another two-win tournament may well beckon with fixtures against Ireland and France to come.
England and Scotland face fork in the road with Calcutta Cup to define Six Nations
Scotland bid to continue their recent supremacy in a fixture that feels like the pivot point of this year’s Six Nations
More from Jamie George on the death of his mother
“Taking time off is the last thing she would have wanted me to do,” said George. “It’s not what I wanted to do. I feel very privileged to do what I do and hopefully the boys will agree that I’ve been able to fulfil my role as captain and fulfil my role as a player in this team.
“It’s not an ideal situation to be in, but there was never any doubt in my mind that I wanted to be involved in this game. Wherever she is now, she will be looking down telling everyone that is there that her son is the England captain. I know for a fact that meant a huge amount to her.
“Whenever I’ve played, I’ve always wanted to make my family proud. It’s been a huge driver for me. That won’t change this weekend – it will probably be enhanced this weekend. It will be emotional for me coming out. It will be the first game that she won’t be there. She wasn’t able to come to the first two games to watch, which has been tough in itself, but before that she was always there, she never missed it. My dad, my uncle, my cousin and both brothers are coming up this weekend. It’s going to be great for them to be able to be there. It’s amazing what rugby can do in situations like this.
“When I first became captain, I spoke a lot about showing how much it means to play for England and what an amazing impact you can have on people’s lives. I have seen it first-hand because my mum was on her deathbed talking about the England rugby team and how proud she was of me being able to do what I do.
“That’s absolutely incredible. She will be with me in some capacity on Saturday and that means a huge amount to me.”
Jamie George using his mother’s recent death as inspiration for Scotland showdown
Jamie George will draw inspiration from the heartwarming thought that his late mother will be watching down on him as he prepares to lead England into Saturday’s Calcutta Cup showdown with Scotland just over a week after her death.
The 33-year-old Saracens hooker found out on the same day that he was appointed captain last month that his mum Jane had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Her situation deteriorated quickly and she died last Wednesday.
George takes some solace from the fact a woman he described as “the biggest rugby fan on earth” was able to see her boy skipper his country for two matches, the Six Nations victories over Wales and Italy.
“We’ve been going through a lot as a family for a long period,” he said, speaking with remarkable composure about his ordeal from England’s team hotel in Edinburgh city centre on Thursday evening. “The deterioration she had was really fast. I found out on Sunday about the fact that she was terminal, and she passed away on Wednesday (last week).
“My mum was the biggest rugby fan on earth, she loved this team, loved watching me play, she never missed a game. The text I’ve got from her before my first game as captain is something I will treasure forever. She said it was the proudest day of her life so given what she was going through, to still be able to put a smile on her face was huge.”
Jamie Ritchie comes in from the cold for Scotland’s Six Nations showdown with England
Jamie Ritchie has been restored to Scotland’s starting XV for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup showdown with England a fortnight after being dropped from the squad altogether for the Six Nations home defeat by France.
The recently-deposed captain is back in the side as one of three changes made by Gregor Townsend, with experienced duo Blair Kinghorn and Kyle Steyn returning to the back three.
Kyle Rowe, Harry Paterson and Matt Fagerson – all of whom started against Les Bleus – drop out of the squad altogether, with the bench unchanged.
Jamie Ritchie comes in from the cold for Scotland’s Six Nations showdown with England
The recently-deposed captain returns to the starting XV as Blair Kinghorn and Kyle Steyn also come back in
England spring selection surprise as Freddie Steward dropped for George Furbank in Scotland clash
George Furbank is a surprise England starter with Freddie Steward dropped for the Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland.
Furbank is preferred to Steward at full back, with Ollie Lawrence returning to the side from injury for the Six Nations round three fixture.
George Martin is also back in the matchday squad on the bench, while Danny Care wins his 99th England cap as the starting scrum half, but there is no place for a Manu Tuilagi despite his achieving fitness.
England spring selection surprise as Steward dropped for Furbank in Scotland clash
Ollie Lawrence returns in midfield with Furbank preferred to Steward at full back
Scotland vs England prediction
Both teams have encountered close contests in each of their two Six Nations matches so far and this one should be no different.
Home advantage and a strong track record in recent clashes makes Scotland the favourites and they should have enough quality in the forward line to claim a narrow win.
Scotland 20-18 England.
England line-up
England XV: 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George (capt.), 3 Dan Cole; 4 Maro Itoje, 5 Ollie Chessum; 6 Ethan Roots, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Ben Earl; 9 Danny Care, 10 George Ford; 11 Elliot Daly, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 13 Henry Slade, 14 Tommy Freeman; 15 George Furbank.
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Will Stuart, 19 George Martin, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South; 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Fin Smith, 23 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies