After a brilliant win over Wales at BT Murrayfield, here is how the Scotland players went.
15. Stuart Hogg: Lovely assist for Visser’s clinching try. The heart of a Scotland backline that is flying – 8/10
14. Tommy Seymour: Carried hard after a quiet tournament so far, and got his reward with a score after a generous pass from Visser – 8/10
13. Huw Jones: Effective in defence, seemed quiet in attack but made the most metres with a couple of great chances – 7/10
12. Alex Dunbar: A monster in defence, and had more work in the second half in attack. One horror kick though and another iffy clearance! – 7/10
11. Tim Visser: Didn’t get much to do in the first half but was resurgent come the second. Had 1 try, 1 assist, try saving tackles – my Man of the Match – 9/10
10. Finn Russell: Kicked superbly from the tee and constantly threatened. The epitome of “organised chaos” – 8.5/10
9. Ali Price: Lively but more controlled than expected – the future of Scottish rugby is safe in this man’s young hands – 8/10
1. Gordon Reid: Had a solid 50 minutes, scrummaged hard and was very effective in the loose – 7/10
2. Fraser Brown: Definitely Vern’s first choice at hooker now – 100% at the lineout and some great jackling over the ball – 8/10
3. Zander Fagerson: Scrum worries remain but the youngster steadied himself in the second half and carried hard and often – 7/10
4. Richie Gray: Really has upped his level this tournament – carried and carried, over and over. Right back in Lion contention – 8/10
5. Jonny Gray: Up against Wyn Jones, surely Gatland can’t ignore Stat Boy either after this one. Super – 8/10
6. John Barclay (Capt): Led from the front, and was total pest at the breakdown. Joint top tackler with 10. Communicated with his team and worked well again in combination with Watson when he arrived – 9/10
7. John Hardie: Lasted all of 24 minutes – replaced by ‘Pinball’ Watson. With Hardie going for a scan post match, that experiment may not be repeated against England – 5/10
8. Ryan Wilson: Carried plenty and contributed to a great overall forwards display. Not the biggest back row you’ll ever see but hurls himself into the contact and shows some nice hands. Scotland’s top carrier with 17 carries but only narrowly pipped for top metres made too – 8/10
Replacements:
16. Ross Ford: Got 10 minutes, did nothing massively noteworthy but allowed bodies a rest and helped his defence see the game out – 6/10
17. Allan Dell: A mixed bag from Allan. He’s not built like your typical prop and the scrum went backwards when he came on, but his loose work continues to impress. – 7/10
18. Simon Berghan: Not Used
19. Tim Swinson: Not Used
20. Hamish Watson: Pinball was electric when he came on, making a mockery of his benching. Alun Wyn Jones credited him afterwards with much of Scotland’s influence at the breakdown. Must start against England – 9/10
21. Henry Pyrgos: Much better from Henry than we’ve seen in a Glasgow shirt of late, and helped close the game out well – 7/10
22. Duncan Weir: Not Used
23. :Mark Bennett: Not Used