|
England got their Six Nations campaign back on track with a crushing 20-0 Calcutta Cup victory over Scotland at Murrayfield yesterday. |
Luther Burrell and Mike Brown, as they’d done in defeat by France last weekend, both scored tries as the 132nd edition of international rugby union’s oldest fixture saw Scotland rendered pointless by England for the first time since a 15-0 loss at Murrayfield in 1978.
Had not fly-half Owen Farrell missed several goalkicks, the final scoreline might have been even more lopsided.
Scotland made three changes from the side that opened the Six Nations with a 28-6 loss to Ireland last weekend, with Australia coach Scott Johnson controversially dropping captain Kelly Brown and giving his place at openside flanker to debutant Chris Fusaro.
Tommy Seymour replaced the injured Sean Maitland while Matt Scott was brought into midfield instead of Duncan Taylor. Scrum-half Greig Laidlaw took over the captaincy from Brown.
England, whose first match in charge under coach Stuart Lancaster was a 13-6 win at Murrayfield two years ago, were unchanged following an agonising 26-24 loss to France in Paris.
The parasite-infested Murrayfield pitch was boggy even before driving rain during the game turned it into a quagmire.
And three minutes in Farrell lost his footing as he saw a 30 metre penalty attempt drift wide.
However, England were 3-0 in front minutes later when scrum-half Danny Care dropped a goal after gathering the ball out wide from a ruck.
Scotland then forced a penalty from a ruck turnover but Laidlaw pushed a 43 metre touchline effort wide.
England, with Care bossing his forwards effectively, won another penalty which Farrell kicked for a line-out barely 10 metres from Scotland’s line.
Ireland pummel Wales to lift Six Nations hopes
Ireland dealt a devastating blow to Welsh dreams of an historic hat-trick of Six Nations titles with a comprehensive 26-3 win at the Aviva stadium yesterday.
In the latest sign of a revival under new coach Joe Schmidt, the Irish went 13-0 up in the first half after flanker Chris Henry forced his way over the Welsh line.
Flyhalf Jonny Sexton kicked four penalties and his replacement, Paddy Jackson, surged across the line in the 79th minute and converted his try to seal Wales’s first away loss in the Six Nations since 2011.
“We haven’t done the jersey justice over the past couple of ... years,” said Ireland’s man of the match Peter O’Mahony “It’s time we start to make this place into a bit of a fortress.”