Six Nations 2021: Player ratings as Scotland claim historic Calcutta Cup win over England

It was a chastening afternoon for England, but a historic one for Scotland as the visitors triumphed in the Six Nations opener.

The reigning champions struggled in many facets of the game, while Duhan van der Merwe’s try helped Scotland claim their first win at Twickenham since 1983 to regain the Calcutta Cup.

Here, we look at how the starting XVs from both teams rated in the clash…

England player ratings

Elliot Daly: The full-back made a couple of runs, but otherwise was sluggish and off the pace. However, so were many of his team-mates. 5/10

Anthony Watson: The winger was left a spectator for much of the match and barely touched the ball out wide as England failed to fire a shot. 5

Henry Slade: One carry and one kick aside, it was a frustratingly quiet afternoon for the Exeter Chiefs man as Scotland were able to starve England of possession. 6

Ollie Lawrence: Handed his opportunity after some impressive displays at domestic level, the Worcester Warriors centre had to wait until the final quarter to get his first carry. 5

Jonny May: An electric player who was error-prone in this bitter defeat, spilling possession twice while trying to make catches which allowed Scotland to exert pressure. 5

Owen Farrell: Moved back to fly-half for this clash, the captain was unable to ignite England in any capacity and the game passed him by. 5

Ben Youngs: Showed some nice touches and made a couple of breaks, but there was little he could muster to affect the outcome of the game. 6

Ellis Genge: Time and again he carried into the blue wall of defenders. Battled hard, but could not stop Scotland getting on top at the scrum. 6

Jamie George: The hooker was below his usual high standards and it could be argued he was one of several Saracens players to feel the pace after two months of inactivity. 5

Will Stuart: Promoted to the starting XV with Kyle Sinckler suspended, Stuart was unable to seize his opportunity as Scotland dominated the set-piece. 5

Maro Itoje: Came up with a couple of charge-downs early on and threw himself into everything with his usual gusto. For a player of his stature, though, this was a disappointing day at the office. 6

Jonny Hill: Manned the barricades, but otherwise was unable to make much of an impression against a determined Scotland side. 5

Mark Wilson: Scotland’s back row dominated and Wilson toiled without reward. He was also shrugged off by Duhan van der Merwe as the winger powered over for his try. 6

Tom Curry: He showed plenty of willingness with the ball in hand, but it is difficult to remember England’s explosive flanker ever being so ineffective. 5

Billy Vunipola: The No 8 was sin-binned for a high tackle in the first half and he was clearly lacking in playing minutes. 5

Scotland player ratings

Stuart Hogg: Fully deserves his place in the history books for the rare Scotland win at Twickenham for holding his nerve despite the odd wobble. The skipper was chosen as man of the match too. 8/10

Sean Maitland: The winger was a potent presence out wide whenever called upon and came up with some important plays in the air. 7

Chris Harris: The centre gave away a couple of penalties, but for the most part was solid in defence and smart in attack. 7

Cameron Redpath: It was an outstanding Test debut for the son of former Scotland international Bryan Redpath and the Bath man definitely won the battle against former England U20s team-mate Ollie Lawrence. 8

Duhan van der Merwe: The winger goes from strength to strength in a Scotland shirt and produced a fantastic, bullocking finish for his try. 8

Finn Russell: A mixed bag of sublime creativity, particular from his kicking game which kept England guessing, and the ridiculous with a yellow card for trip on Ben Youngs which blotted his copybook. 7

Ali Price: The scrum-half was a steadying hand on the tiller and a constant threat. More importantly, he was not unnerved by having two kicks charged down early on as England tried to pressurise him. 8

Rory Sutherland: Dominated in the tight and was steady in the loose. He also helped Scotland get on top of England’s pack when it came to the set piece 7

George Turner: The hooker was backed by head coach Townsend to make an impact pre-match, and had a vital hand in Scotland’s try as well as impressing in the set-piece. 8

Zander Fagerson: The prop’s display at the set piece was particularly notable and he locked out Scotland’s dominant scrum in style. 8

Scott Cummings: A crucial and gritty shift in the engine room as Scotland starved England of possession and were strong in defence. 7

Jonny Gray: The Exeter Chiefs man produced a towering performance for his country and forced the likes of Maro Itoje into rare mistakes. 9

Jamie Ritchie: Edinburgh back row Ritchie ensured continuity on the ball for the Scots with impressive, often unsung tight work which was nonetheless vital to them securing victory. 8

Hamish Watson: The flanker was a major force in this historic Scotland win, making telling contributions in both attack and defence. 9

Matt Fagerson: Put himself about throughout as Scotland merited their fine win before making way during the second half. 8

(c) Sky Sports 2021: Six Nations 2021: Player ratings as Scotland claim historic Calcutta Cup win over England