England win Calcutta Cup for first time in five years after narrow victory over Scotland; Finn Russell misses late kick for victory as two Marcus Smith penalties and one from Fin Smith get England over the line
Last Updated: 22/02/25 7:01pm
Finn Russell missed all three of his conversion attempts including a crucial one at the death
Finn Russell missed a last-gasp conversion as England wrestled the Calcutta Cup out of Scotland’s grasp after five years of misery with a dramatic 16-15 victory at a rejoicing Allianz Stadium.
England’s nemesis Duhan van der Merwe looked to have guided Scotland to an unprecedented fifth successive Calcutta Cup triumph with his late try, but fly-half Russell failed to score the conversion.
The miss proved costly, with England grinding out a gutsy, if somewhat unconvincing, victory over their fierce rivals to regain the Calcutta Cup for the first time since 2020.
First-half tries from Ben White and Huw Jones, either side of Tommy Freeman’s reply, saw a dominant Scotland lead by three at the break but they were pegged back by three second-half penalties from Marcus and Fin Smith as England claimed only their second victory over Scotland in eight attempts.
The defeat effectively ends Scotland’s hopes of winning the Six Nations for the for the first time but England remain in the hunt after recording their second victory of the tournament.
More to follow…
- Ollie Chessum replaced George Martin in the second row in England’s only change from the 26-25 victory over France a fortnight ago.
- Kyle Rowe replaced the injured Darcy Graham while Pierre Schoeman and Jamie Ritchie were drafted into the pack as Scotland made three changes to the team beaten 32-18 by Ireland on February 9.
What’s next?
The Six Nations pauses for another fallow week, after which Scotland host Wales at Murrayfield on March 8 (4.45pm), with England hosting Italy at Allianz Stadium on March 9 (3pm).
