RED ROSE RATINGS – ENGLAND 38 - 38 SCOTLAND

RED ROSE RATINGS – ENGLAND 38 - 38 SCOTLAND

               Date: 16th March 2019
               Location: Twickenham Stadium, London, England
               Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
               Attendance: 82,000
After Wales comprehensively beat Ireland in Cardiff to win the Grand Slam, England's encounter with the Scots threatened to be an anti-climatic dead rubber. It was anything but. England raced into a 31-0 lead and looked to be storming to a comfortable win but in an incredible turn of events the visitors scored 38 unanswered points to lead by seven going into the final minutes. The game had one final twist though as George Ford rescued a draw for his side that an hour earlier would have barely believed they'd be going home with anything but the five points.
15 – Elliot Daly (Wasps) – 7
Attacked brilliantly with his pace and direction in the first half where he enjoyed plenty of ball and was kept relatively quiet in defence. The second period was the opposite though and he was one of a couple of players that really struggled to make tackles as the Scots rallied.
14 – Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs) - 7
It didn't take long to justify his inclusion over Joe Cokanasiga as every time the Cornish winger touched the ball early on he beat defenders with ease. He deserved his try and took it well but found things much harder as the clocked ticked away, both D'arcy Graham and Sam Johnson benefitted from some lapse tackling to score.
13 – Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs) - 7
Was waltzing around the pitch oozing flair early on and the centre played a major role in helping England build their 31 point lead. Put his teammate Nowell over with a delayed assist but it was the audacious offload for Johnny May's try that will take pride of place on the highlights reel.
12 – Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers) - 6
Made some big carries and also clearly disrupted the Scottish defence when running without possession. It's evident that Eddie Jones likes Manu in the centre channels but once again worrying defensive frailties surfaced.
11 – Johnny May (Leicester Tigers) - 7
Continues to rise up the try-scoring charts with fourteen in his last fifteen England games. Besides his finishing statistics he also once again impressed under the high-ball, a super tournament in this regard. Was made to lucky silly as he failed to haul down Stuart McInally for Scotland's first try though.
10 – Owen Farrell (Saracens) – 5
Some nice passes and place kicks but was a shadow of his opposite number Finn Russell. Had kicks charged down and passes intercepted in a game littered with rare mistakes. Went missing as England watched the game be ripped from their grasps, needed their captain, talisman and conductor fade into the backdrop.
9 – Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers) - 6
Had England pumped up and raring to go in the first half as the number nine celebrated becoming England's most capped player in this position. Some lovely variation in his passing and was desperately unlucky to miss out on a try. Second half, like Farrell though, he must shoulder some of the blame, his box kicking was far too variable and he was another potential leader that was lost in the moment.
1 – Ben Moon (Exeter Chiefs) - 6
Wasn't on for very long before what looked like a shoulder injury ruled him out.
2 – Jamie George (Saracens) - 6
Marshalled a lineout that remained one of England's safest ports in the Scottish storm. Was a little too quiet everywhere else though as his carrying game was blunted.
3 – Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins) – 7
Looked to be absolutely loving himself depsite the game being so open, a rare sight for a prop. Showed his deftness of touch as he jumped and nudged back a touchline high-ball, continues to carry with ferocity and aggression that would worry any player.
4 – Joe Launchbury (Wasps) - 7
Took his try like a hungry man with a well sold dummy, with players over its a good job he did. Very good at the lineout on either sides of the ball and competed well at the breakdown. Eddie has plenty to think about ahead of the World Cup with regards his second-rows.
5 – George Kruis (Saracens) - 7
Not quite the monstrous performance of last week but he certainly tried. Got through a big number of tackles and unlike many of his colleagues actually brought his man down on nearly all occasions.
6 – Mark Wilson (Newcastle Falcons) - 6
One of his weaker Six Nations outings in what has been a pretty good tournament for the Falcons man. Was just a bit quieter in all facets of the game from weeks gone by, the breakdown, with ball in hand and defensively.
7 – Tom Curry (Sale Sharks) - 7
One of England's finest performers across the whole competition and topped it off with another decent outing. Scored his second international try and showcased his turnover credentials again by winning a crucial penalty.
8 – Billy Vunipola (Saracens) - 5
Drifted in and out of the game in the second half, too many silly mistakes both in regards positioning and handling. Failed to make the desired impact when carrying,
SUBS:
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs) - N/A
Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers) -7
Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers) - 6
Brad Shields (Wasps) - 6 
Nathan Hughes (Wasps) - 6
Ben Spencer (Saracens) - 7
George Ford (Leicester Tigers) - 7
Ben Te'o (Worcester Warriors) - N/A

Henry Justice
 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

GLOUCESTER

EXETER

2019/20 GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP TEAM OF THE SEASON