ANALYSIS: Eddie out flanked, Finn Russell clutch in the moments that mattered as Scotland triumph

Scotland won the Calcutta Cup with a gritty 20-17 Six Nations victory over bitter rivals England, a result that can be explained in ten ways.

1. Down seven points, deep in the match, Scotland was awarded a penalty try. First, it was fair. Luke Cowan-Dickie clearly played volleyball with the rugby ball, to prevent Darcy Graham from catching a Finn Russell cross-kick.

Thus, Ben O’Keefe had to imagine the offending Exeter hooker was not there. Would the little live-wire wing have caught the ball? Probably. That’s all the law requires. And there was no cover, as Russell had just stretched the English defence all the way left with a perfect kick-pass to Duhan van der Merwe.

Cowan-Dickie, beaten to the spot by Graham, should have just stayed on the ground and barreled the Scot into touch after he landed, if he caught it. Instead, he put Joe Marler in the position of having to throw (crooked) into a crucial lineout, leading to Scotland’s winning points.

2. The Gunslinger beat the Kid. But really, only because Eddie Jones hooked the kid, Marcus Smith, when leading 17-10. Smith had been in a stalemate with Russell until then. Both had created tries. Both led. Both were unflappable.

(Photo by Ross MacDonald/SNS Group via Getty Images)

Also, George Ford did nothing wrong, and England didn’t have much good ball after that. But we were robbed of the last act of the drama. Still, Russell was clutch when it mattered most, and slid his match-winner just inside the right upright as the stadium sang. Eddie out thought himself.

3. The scrum matters. A 1933 book I am reading speaks of the problem with scrums. In a Test between the All Blacks and Springboks, there were 50 scrums! Now, ten is a lot. But the Calcutta Cup ended up being decided by scrums: Scotland was one infringement away from a loss or draw. England needed one penalty. Scottish replacements WP Nel, Pierre Schoeman, and Stu McInally came on and did a job. The match was on a knife’s edge.

4. The Scots edged the battle of the loosies. Hamish Watson has never missed a Six Nations tackle. James Ritchie was replaced well by big Magnus Bradbury. No. 8 Matt Fagerson won Man of the Match. In contrast, all of the English loosies played like they were flank combos.

Meanwhile, a quintessential No.8 (Alex Dombrandt) sat on the bench. With the huge possession edge England had, they needed a link man. Sam Simmonds runs hard, but he doesn’t pass any more than wild Tom Curry or fierce Lewis Ludlam do. England needed to play more like Ireland to win this one. Dombrandt might have made a difference.

5. Ben O’Keefe likes the tough matches. He spotted a Joe Marchant knock on when Nic Berry was much closer and missed it. He worked through the penalty try perfectly. He didn’t fall for the dark arts by Nel and Marler. He managed the noise, the crazed Wild West breakdown, and the big occasion so well.

6. Jonny Gray was the best lock on the field. He should’ve been a Lion. He’s a worker. He stole the key lineout to seal the match. He showed great hands. He and Grant Gilchrist outplayed the English locks, who seem to miss George Kruis and Joe Launchbury, players more like Gray.

7. Players need numbers. Because they need roles. It looked like England had six flyhalves and a scrumhalf on the pitch. Elliot Daly is not a true 13. Max Malins isn’t fast enough for a wing. He should’ve scored when Stu Hogg flicked the ball to the turf. Joe Marchant was utterly bamboozled by Graham. Eddie likes to be different. But why have a thirty-one year old 12 in the squad, and not play him on a tough gainline night?

8. Exits. Scotland were lucky a few times with poor trackbacks or dodgy decisions (Stu Hogg, hang your head). But they exited, usually. England’s Ben Youngs consistently had short exits. Smith missed touch. Freddie Steward shanked one. In a close match, those flubs mattered.

9. Home. Last year, there was no home advantage. Crowds are back. And it is worth 3-6 points. What a lovely sound: the songs, the gasps, the jeers, the cheers.

10. Scotland is defending better. Steve Tandy has a good system, and the players buy into it.

With an opening loss, England has lost control of its destiny. Scotland has once again affected the tournament. Can they win four? The pack may not have enough in reserve. But three wins again looks realistic.

England will know they had the ball and the position to score 25-30 points. They will need to score that much to beat Ireland and France. But the attack seems a hybrid, and confused.

Eddie, go home and think again.

Ben White of Scotland lifts the Calcutta Cup with teammates after the Guinness Six Nations match between Scotland and England at BT Murrayfield Stadium on February 05, 2022 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)