Six Nations: England v Scotland player ratings

By DAVID FERGUSON
Published on 03/02/2013 00:02

How they rated at Twickenham

SCOTLAND

15 STUART HOGG

Scotland’s best player grew into the game with a counterattack that led to Sean Maitland’s try. Hogg also delivered lengthy stress-relieving kicks, sound defence and fine second-half score.

14 SEAN MAITLAND

Announced himself with a great try in the tenth minute but found himself busy more in defence for rest of game.

13 SEAN LAMONT

Battered away at English attack all day, with a solid defensive display. Had one break in first half.

12 MATT SCOTT

Worked hard to stem tides of attack from England, sometimes stopping wide passes and sometimes being caught out.

11 TIM VISSER

Inauspicious start, bowled over by England No.8 Ben Morgan; good kick-and-chase showed his talent, but too few chances with ball in space.

10 RUARIDH JACKSON

Struggled to get into any rhythm, slicing penalty to touch and then having kick charged down by Farrell, and lacked ball in second half to dictate.

9 GREIG LAIDLAW

Scrum-half bounced off in defence early on, but came back to marshal side well in defence through concerted periods under pressure. Passed well.

1 RYAN GRANT

Big defensive shift and solid work in set-piece but scrum found going tough.

2 DOUGIE HALL

Suffered lost lineout after 14 minutes but stuck in well, tackling hard, carrying ball and offering support, until injured and replaced in second half.

3 EUAN MURRAY

Big tighthead was strong in the scrum. Visible in loose but struggled to make impact.

4 RICHIE GRAY

Secure in the lineout, without stealing any opposition ball, the big lock strived to provide a lead in the loose with a series of charging runs.

5 JIM HAMILTON

Worked tirelessly in the set-piece and in defensive chores, but struggled to make an impression in the loose.

6 ALASDAIR STROKOSCH

Taken off after 13 minutes.

7 KELLY BROWN

Typical hard-grafting stint by the Scotland skipper. Good on the ground and worked tirelessly to provide a lead, but tough going against a strong England defence.

8 JOHNNIE BEATTIE

One great counter-attack late in the first half, which showed Beattie at his best, was a rare highlight but lacked consistency at the breakdown

SUBSTITUTES

David Denton (for Strokosch 13mins). Big shift in defence but performance marred by wild pass over Jackson’s head minutes after coming on and lack of impact on ground. 4

Ross Ford (for Hall 47mins).Brought some punch to defensive effort. 5

Alastair Kellock (for Hamilton 55mins). Big man strived to revive side but struggled to make impact. 4

Henry Pyrgos (for Laidlaw 73mins). Thankless task.

Max Evans (for Hogg 78mins). Too late to make an impact.

ENGLAND

15 ALEX GOODE

Competent display at the back, dealt well with pressure and offered in attack with few opportunities to shine.

14 CHRIS ASHTON

Winger took his chance well to finish a crucial first-half score, but saw too little of ball to have more impact.

13 BRAD BARRITT

Typically understated but effective display from the Saracens centre, a vital cog in the England midfield.

12 BILLY TWELVETREES

Good Test debut, carrying ball well and defending with determination, and topped it off with decisive score at start of second half.

11 MIKE BROWN

Key involvement in putting Chris Robshaw in behind Scottish defence in lead-up to third try but caught out in 22 late on.

10 OWEN FARRELL

The man of the match underlined his quality as a stand-off, kicking well from hand and at goal, with seven out of eight goal-kicks, launching attacks with speed and accuracy, and defensive work put Scotland under pressure.

9 BEN YOUNGS

Quiet start, but slick service to Farrell behind a good pack display kept hosts on front foot, and his break created space for England try.

1 JOE MARLER

Decent shift at the coal-face on his sixth cap, stuck in well and worked hard in defence.

2 TOM YOUNGS

Hooker was mostly accurate in lineout, part of good scrum effort and defensive work but second half penalty cost his side a try.

3 DAN COLE

English front row had the edge overall in the scrum but under pressure at times too and Cole rarely seen in loose.

4 JOE LAUNCHBURY

Had debut try ruled out after hooker Tom Youngs’ dangerous play, but promising showing in set-piece and loose.

5 GEOFF PARLING

Good in the set-piece, but poor first half in loose, lost ball and was knocked off it too often, but day lifted by second half try.

6 TOM WOOD

Great scything run into Scottish 22 early on was highlight of an otherwise hard-working shift around the breakdown and in defence.

7 CHRIS ROBSHAW

Provided strong skipper’s lead for his side, marshalling the pack well and making sound decisions on where to play game.

8 BEN MORGAN

Powerful start with charge from halfway to Scots 22, bouncing Tim Visser and Greig Laidlaw out of way, laid platform for fine display from back row before being replaced.

SUBSTITUTES

James Haskell (for Morgan 46mins). Good hard shift to remind coaches of ability, without being outstanding

Danny Care (for B Youngs 57mins). Scrum-half has had problems in career, but last-minute try brought a smile.

Mako Vunipola (for Marler 57mins). Big Kiwi prop steeled English scrum for last quarter.

Toby Flood (for Twelvetrees 68mins). Part of sweeping English attack in latter stages.