Face each other in the second match of the first day of the Six Nations Scotland and England in murrayfield classic par excellence The Oval Ball, now in its 151st edition with the Calcutta Cup, was organized by the hosts following their success at Twickenham – where they had not won since 1983 – the previous year.
The most awaited challenge is the one in the control room. On the one hand the creativity, inspiration and (at times) craziness of Finn Russell, on the other the rising star of English rugby, Marcus Smith, called up to replace injured captain Owen Farrell, who drops the grade on third-row Tom Curry.
The Harlequins opener is the first to move the score off the pitch, but there is not even time to rejoice for Townsend’s men to react and score a try with White, recently entered.
From there, including conversions, it is a challenge between the two players with Smith closing the distance and Russell putting his team back in the end with a score of +4. 10-6Without much show due to heavy rain in Edinburgh.
Smith takes over: overtaking has arrived
The second half again opens with indiscipline weighing on the overall economy of the match and Smith is the first to hit the mark again from a favorable position.
There is a moment to overtake from a distance point, and a stroke of 8–9 between Simmonds and Youngs leads to a change of pace and direction of attack that troubles Scotland, giving Smith his first win of the tournament. Get a chance to score multiple times. ,
We enter the final quarter with Smith leading the squad’s XV to the altered target distance before leaving the field in favor of Ford in a whirlwind of changes, including various scrum elements to Eddie Jones’ formation , but not intended to give the desired effect.
Cowan-Dickie’s naïveté: England in dilemma, Scotland ahead again
the turning pointHowever, it comes In the 65th minute when on a wing kick from the Scottish side, English hooker Cowan-Dickie with incredible ingenuity found Graham voluptuously anticipating a throw down the oval straight to the edge.
Moment of consultation and decision by the TMO that restores the spirit of the match in favor of Cardo with a yellow card, ten minutes of numerical superiority at crucial moments, and above all a penalty attempt for the equaliser. 17-17: Everything has to be redone.
10′ From the end an increasingly confused England fouls in blue and makes for the free kick which Scotland initially look to take advantage of with another clash between the pack, but then after a signal from the Townsend stand, they like to take advantage of it. poles with a Russell kept millimeters for retaliatory overtaking.
Thrilling final but Calcutta Cup left in Edinburgh
Scotland could have had another chance to go ahead soon, but the TMO ruled out a set-piece due to an earlier foul.
Reversals and free kicks followed for England, who opted to go into touch on the twenty-two line rather than seek an equaliser. On the next throw, Scotland “steals” the ball and kicks it back meters between Albonix and their own goal line.
Matt Fegerson, the Scottish third centre, is awarded player of the match, although there is one last, eternal scrum to play.
The referee decided not to penalize the home team, who eventually managed to recover the ball and served Hogg to kick into an overflowing Murrayfield’s stands.
Salt flags waving in the wind salute victory 20-17 and the Calcutta Cup which resides in Scotland.
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