Calcutta Cup winning captain Andy Nicol salutes the class of 2021
Scotland have not beaten their old enemy on their own pitch since 1983 but did so with a dominant display to reclaim the trophy.
Many pundits believed the performance deserved more than the narrow 11-6 scoreline as Scotland dominated possession and play but the team, wearing specially embroidered shirts to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the fixture saw off England, just as the team of 1871 did at Raeburn Place.
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Hide AdAnd Nicol believes the performance a century and a half later was one of the best ever and rhymed off all the aspects contributing to the Scots’ success on BBC Radio5 Live: "There was creativity but there was also physicality,” he said. “There was set piece but there was also good kicking. There was an intensity and togetherness and strength of the bench and it was fully deserved.
"That's one of the best performances Scotland have ever put in – it was a total performance.”
But the former scrum-half was, like many north of the border, on the edge of his seat for the closing stages. “It was five points and nervy at the end but it should have been a 15 or 20 point victory - that was a difference between the teams. That is as dominant a performance that Scotland have turned in against England for maybe 30 years.
“An 80-minute performance for Scotland, at all aspects of the game, that is outstanding – an unbelievably good 80 minute full performance from Scotland.”
