Sione Tuipulotu wins the Calcutta Cup after Scotland beat England 31-20 at Murrayfield
Scotland sparked another Murrayfield nightmare in England as they reclaimed the Calcutta Cup – and eased the pressure on Gregor Townsend – with a 31-20 victory that ended their rivals’ 12-Test winning streak.
England, chasing Murrayfield’s first win since 2020, arrived in Edinburgh full of expectations after a year-long winning streak, only to be met with a sobering and all-too-familiar reality check.
Henry Arundel’s early sin-binning set off a disastrous first half for England, from which there was no comeback as a rampant Scotland, led by the inspirational Finn Russell, plundered tries from Hugh Jones and Jamie Ritchie in the opening quarter of an hour.
Arundel looked set to spark a first-half charge against England with a try on the rebound from the bin but Ben White capitalized on Ellis Genge’s error to tighten Scotland’s grip on the contest before Arundel saw a second yellow – and a 20-minute red – for hauling Kyle Steyn into the air.
Scotland kept the better England at arm’s length in the second half and ended the contest for good when George Ford’s drop try was cleared by Matt Fagerson, who let Jones fight over for his second – and Scotland’s fourth – try to secure the bonus point.
Scotland’s reaction to their first-round defeat in Italy was so stirring that Ben Earle’s late score was little more than scant consolation for an England side who were comprehensively beaten for the first time in a long time.
- Scottish – Tries: Jones (10, 53) Ritchie (14), White (27); Conversions: Russell (11, 15, 28, 54); Penalties: Russell (4).
- England – Tries: Arundel (21), Earle (78); Conversions: Ford (23, 78); Penalties: Ford (26, 45).
Scotland gave England the latest Murrayfield nightmare
If Finn Russell’s early penalty calmed Scotland’s nerves, then Arundel’s mistake of not letting in the match gave them the added boost they needed. By the time Arundell returned, Scotland had scored 14 unanswered points.
Russell’s stunning miss sent Jones into the corner, before Sione Tuipulotu’s looping pass left Richie untouched as Scotland took full advantage of their numerical advantage.
Hugh Jones scores Scotland’s first try
Trailing 17-0 in the first quarter of an hour, England, shell-shocked, began to claw from the canvas.
Ford’s penalty got them on the board, before deft hands from the fly sent Arundell – minutes after returning to the pitch – under the posts.
Scotland’s Ben White (centre left) celebrates his third try
But just when England looked to be making a comeback, Scotland reasserted their dominance. The quick-footed Russell went through a number of missed tackles before going on the attack and Genge’s spill led to Scotland’s third try for scrum-half White.
A nightmare first period wasn’t done there, with Arundell red carded on 20 minutes after picking up a second yellow for an unfortunate, inadvertent challenge on Scotland winger Stein in the air.
Henry Arundell received two yellow cards in the first half
Another penalty from Ford saw England score their first points of the second half, but Scotland used their numerical advantage to limit them to just that, before hitting their fourth try.
Ford was thrown the ball after England lost attacking momentum, but his drop goal was canceled out by substitute Fagerson, who collected the rebound and then laid out Jones, who raced across half the pitch to score a stunning finish.
And there was no turning back for England, who saw Earle’s late try deny Scotland their biggest win over them in 40 years – but it was too late to wake them from their latest Murrayfield nightmare.
Jones’ breakaway second moved Scotland out of sight
Tuipulotu: We stood behind our coach
Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu: “Beyond proud. I’m proud of everyone involved. I see everything that goes on behind closed doors that everyone else doesn’t get to see.”
“I stand by what I said during the week and I’m happy we got behind our coach today and put in a performance we can be proud of.”
“The main message at half-time was to come here and press them, and we did.
“I want to enjoy tonight with my teammates, but make no mistake, we will all be on deck. We will prepare as best we can to support this performance.”
Scotland have won five of their last six Calcutta Cup matches against England
‘Some of the best rugby we’ve played’ – Townsend
Scotland coach Gregor Townsend: “It’s quite emotional. I’m so proud of the way we played tonight. The first 20 minutes was some of the best rugby we’ve ever played. That’s all you want as a coach.
“We really fought for each other and for the supporters. We were true to ourselves. We played the ball away from contact, were aggressive in contact and played with speed.
“The decisions around the half-backs were outstanding. It was one of Finn Russell’s best performances for Scotland.”
“The work, overall effort and togetherness was excellent. We are really pleased to win. For the coaches it is more of a relief, for the players it is a joy.”
‘Tough day at the office’
England captain Maro Itoje: “It was a tough day at the office, we didn’t get fired the way we wanted, but that’s the nature of the beast.”
“We have to learn our lesson and move forward. We didn’t start well, we weren’t as accurate and precise as we wanted, especially in the fight, all those areas have to be better.”
“I think over the last 12 months we’ve been good at riding waves and finding ways, but we weren’t good at that today. We’ll learn from it.”
What’s next?
Scotland look to build on their winning streak when they travel to Wales in the third round of the Six Nations on February 21 at 4.40pm, while England look to bounce back when they host Ireland at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham on February 21 at 2.10pm.