England 16-15 Scotland: Finn Russell misses late conversion as England regain Calcutta Cup

Jack Wilkinson

@jacktwilkinson

Finn Russell misses all three conversion attempts, including one at the death, as England earn a dramatic first Calcutta Cup victory over Scotland in five years; Penalties from Marcus Smith (2) and Fin Smith get England over the line in second half

England won the Calcutta Cup for the first time since 2020

Finn Russell missed a last-gasp conversion as England wrestled the Calcutta Cup out of Scotland’s grasp after four years of misery with a dramatic 16-15 victory at a rejoicing Allianz Stadium.

England’s nemesis Duhan van der Merwe looked to have guided Scotland to an unprecedented fifth successive Calcutta Cup triumph with his late try.

But there was more drama to come, with the otherwise exemplary Russell missing a third conversion as history slipped through the fingers of Gregor Townsend’s players at the death.

Russell’s decisive miss put the seal on a gutsy, if somewhat unconvincing, victory for England as they finally overcame their fierce rivals to regain the Calcutta Cup for the first time since 2020.

First-half tries from Ben White and Huw Jones, either side of Tommy Freeman’s reply, saw a dominant Scotland lead by three at the break but they were pegged back by three second-half penalties from Marcus and Fin Smith as England claimed only their second victory over Scotland in eight attempts.

The defeat effectively ends Scotland’s hopes of winning the Six Nations for the first time, while England, after recording successive victories, remain in the hunt ahead of matches against Italy and Wales, though they need France to do them a favour against Ireland in round four.

England end five years of Calcutta Cup hurt

Duhan van der Merwe tormented England in Scotland’s dominant first-half performance

Scotland had never won three successive games at Twickenham but their prize for doing so would be an unprecedented fifth Calcutta Cup in a row – and they set about seizing history in ruthless fashion.

Van der Merwe, fresh from his Murrayfield hat-trick in 2024, resumed his role as England’s tormentor-in-chief, creating Scotland’s first try with a bulldozing linebreak that released Tom Jordan down the left wing before he passed inside for scrum-half White to apply the finishing touch.

Scotland’s lead would last just five minutes. England mounted phase after phase on the Scottish tryline and were eventually rewarded for their patience when Freeman crashed over, with Marcus Smith’s conversion putting the hosts ahead after Russell’s first miss.

Russell missed three conversion as victory slipped through Scotland’s fingers at Allianz Stadium

But a mesmeric performance with ball in hand from Russell would see Scotland wrestle back control, with the threat of Van der Merwe utilised to devastating effect on 19 minutes when he lured Marcus Smith and Ollie Lawrence to the ball and offloaded to Jones to crash over for a lead-restoring try.

Scotland repelled a Marcus Smith-inspired surge from England at the end of the first half to reach the interval three points ahead, but it served as a reminder their lead was perhaps too slender given their dominance.

Marcus Smith kicked England to Calcutta Cup victory with two second-half penalties

England lost Tom Willis and Tom Curry to injury either side of the interval but remained steadfast in their defensive efforts, repelling everything Scotland threw at them before Marcus Smith’s first penalty levelled the score on 56 minutes.

Scotland conceded two penalties in a pivotal four-minute spell and were punished on both occasions by the boots of Marcus and Fin Smith, as England entered the final nine minutes with a six-point lead that not even Van der Merwe’s sixth try in three games against them could overturn, Russell’s third missed conversion proving decisive.

Duhan van der Merwe’s late try looked to have inspired Scotland to a dramatic victory at the death

‘England stayed in the fight’

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Following England’s 16-15 victory over Scotland in the Six Nations, England head coach Steve Borthwick says victory was great for his evolving and developing side.

England head coach Steve Borthwick: “Every game is important for England and you have to give Scotland credit, as they played a real smart game. They put pressure on you and as soon as they get a chance they move the ball wide quickly.

“This young group stayed in the fight, and they kept composure and they kept running hard. They eventually found a way to win.

“While there were bits in that game that weren’t pretty, it’s edge of the seat finales. You saw a very happy Allianz Stadium at the end of the game.”

‘Better performance than recent wins’ – Townsend

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Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has questioned the crucial penalty decision that led to England’s victory in the Calcutta Cup.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend: “I’m proud of how we played today. In the first half, our execution was very good – our contact work was outstanding.

“We created opportunities. We scored three tries and will look back and think we could have scored more. In a lot of ways, it was a better performance than we’ve had down here when we’ve won.

“With that amount of possession, we’re normally good at converting into points. Today we didn’t do that often enough. England defended very well. They are very good in their own 22. Credit goes to them.

“Finn was a big part of us getting three tries. He has kicked a lot of very important points for us in the past.

“The reality is we didn’t win and are likely now not going to win the championship. It’s a performance we can build on over the next two rounds.”

What’s next?

The Six Nations pauses for another fallow week, after which Scotland host Wales at Murrayfield on March 8 (4.45pm), with England hosting Italy at Allianz Stadium on March 9 (3pm).