Scotland v England player ratings

06 February 2016 07:23

SCOTLAND

STUART HOGG: Always looked a menace with his speed and change of direction whilst running at England. 7/10

SEAN MAITLAND: Solid in defence but given no scope to get at the England back line. 6

MARK BENNETT: The Glasgow centre shook off a shoulder injury to start but was closed down smartly by the English who were well aware of his qualities. 7

MATT SCOTT: Made inroads every time he got the chance to run but lacked the necessary cutting edge to open the visitors up. 7

TOMMY SEYMOUR: Looked dangerous when up at full speed but let himself down with a couple of dropped passes. Not at his ruthless best. 6

FINN RUSSELL: Looked back to his best after a disappointing spell with Glasgow. Dictated play with some precise kicking. Will regret missing his drop-goal attempt before the break. 7

GREIG LAIDLAW: His tactical discipline was at its usual high standard but he could not find the extra gear Scotland badly needed. 7

AL DICKINSON: Solid display at the scrum as the Dark Blues stood up to the English pack at the scrum. 7

ROSS FORD: Squint line-out throw put team under pressure early on while he failed to put himself about enough in the loose. 6

WP NEL: The nationalised Springbok showed again why he is so vital to Scotland's front-row with another barnstorming display. 7

JONNY GRAY: Did not perform as well as he would have liked but did not let his side down on the tackling front as he made the hard yards into contact. 7

RITCHIE GRAY: Outperformed at the line-out and was at fault for England's first try. Needs to be more noticeable if Scotland are to succeed this year. 6

JOHN BARCLAY: Back in Dark Blue after being left out of the World Cup and showed some terrific breakdown work. 7

JOHN HARDIE: Another non-stop display from the Kilted Kiwi with his energetic foraging and fierce tackling. 8

DAVID DENTON: Outperformed by Billy Vunipola as he struggled to contain the bulldozer-like Saracens number eight. 6

REPLACEMENTS

GORDON REID (for DICKINSON, 58): Energised the front row. 6

BLAIR COWAN (for BARCLAY, 59): Threw himself about in the loose. 6

STUART McINALLY (for FORD, 65): Hit his jumper at the line-out. 6

DUNCAN TAYLOR (for SEYMOUR, 66): Added power to the back line. 5

ZANDER FAGERSON (for NEL, 69): On late for his first cap. 5

TIM SWINSON (for J GRAY, 70): Not enough time to make an impact: 5

ENGLAND

MIKE BROWN: Ran hard and straight, but maybe England also need guile from their full-back. 6

ANTHONY WATSON: The Bath wing's speed and athleticism served England well. 7

JONATHAN JOSEPH: Would have liked more ball and was unable to play to his strengths. 6

OWEN FARRELL: Neat pass sent Jack Nowell over and could prove to be a long-term option at 12. 7

JACK NOWELL: Showed his gas to run in England's second try, the headline act of a strong match. 7

GEORGE FORD: Mixed afternoon, but it was his clever kick downfield that put England on the path to success. 6

DANNY CARE: Not given the space he would have liked, but was sharp enough. 6

JOE MARLER: England's scrum was an improvement on the World Cup. 6

DYLAN HARTLEY: A solid and tidy game - exactly what England's captain needed. 6

DAN COLE: The chief contributor to the scrum effort, but his discipline was wanting at times. 7

JOE LAUNCHBURY: Unable to translate his recent club form into the Calcutta Cup match. 6

GEORGE KRUIS: Scored the opening try with an outstretched hand and was the star lock at Murrayfield. 7

CHRIS ROBSHAW: Heavily involved at close quarters where he was effective but unspectacular. 6

JAMES HASKELL: Tackled hard and carried hard. A muscular presence, but not a natural seven. 7

BILLY VUNIPOLA: Clearly going to be a key figure under Eddie Jones, used repeatedly to great effect. 8

REPLACEMENTS

JAMIE GEORGE: Late arrival. 5

MAKO VUNIPOLA: Great offload for Nowell's try. 7

COURTNEY LAWES: Heavily involved. 6

JACK CLIFFORD: Little chance to shine. 6

BEN YOUNGS: Almost gave away an intercept try. 5

Source: PA