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Six Nations 2023: England 23-29 Scotland – Player Ratings

Gregor Townsend and Jamie Ritchie
2023 Guinness Six Nations Championship Launch: Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend and captain Jamie Ritchie | ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

That’ll be three Calcutta Cup victories in a row for Scotland, then. This was the pick of the recent encounters though, played in front of a full throated crowd when neither side was playing badly.

The afternoon for Scotland seemed like almost a return to a traditional separation of duties, with the forwards doing the bulk of the tackling and focusing on clean set-piece (carrying metres were quite low), and the backs taking on almost all the attack. For the most part, it worked very well against an England team that were not yet the sum of their parts under Borthwick but probably will be at some point soon.

Scotland probably didn’t execute to the level that they wanted, but following on from New Zealand and Argentina in the autumn they all looked like they at least knew what the plan was. Also refreshing.

How did Scotland rate?

Forwards

Rated on Attack, Defence, Breakdown and Set Piece

1. Pierre Schoeman: Took on most of the carrying for his older scrum buddy though didn't punch as many holes as he sometimes does. Huge effort as usual. - (A6/D7/B6/S6) Overall: 6.5/10

2. George Turner: A buzzsaw of activity in the loose as usual and hit his lineout jumpers well. Always seems to make ground going forward. - (A7/D8/B7/S7) Overall: 7.5/10

3. WP Nel: Brought on to provide solidity in the scrum and did just that, earning free kicks in the process. Put himself about the park well but didn't ignore his primary responsibility. - (A5/D7/B5/S8) Overall: 6.5/10

4. Richie Gray: Just quietly doing his thing - which in Richie's case is jumping higher in the lineout than anyone else without a lifter, disrupting set piece all afternoon - until a superbly quick take and give pass in the build up to the match winning try reminded us he's not just the guy who's got the lineout working again. - (A7/D8/B6/S8) Overall: 7.5/10

5. Grant Gilchrist: Not too many carries - only credited with one - but like Richie Gray a big part of the defensive and set piece effort. - (A6/D7/B6/S6) Overall: 6.5/10

6. Jamie Ritchie (capt): Not as hugely influential at the breakdown but a huge part of Scotland's scramble defence and made his key intervention for a turnover at exactly the right moment. Good game management to call for the posts even with only 12 minutes to go. - (A6/D7/B8/S6) Overall: 7/10

7. Luke Crosbie: 20 completed tackles, 0 missed, part of a big defensive effort from the back row that shut the door through the middle for England. - (A6/D8/B7/S6) Overall: 7/10

8. Matt Fagerson: Made a huge 26 tackles and was by some distance the top carrier in the pack. Massive engine and seems to have made the 8 shirt his own, at least until next week. - (A8/D9/B8/S6) Overall: 8/10

Backs

Rated on Attack, Defence, Breakdown and Influence

9. Ben White: Loves to take his time preparing for box kicks but overall plays the game at a fast pace. Showed great awareness of the gap for his third try after he was nearly scragged at the ruck. Fizzed his passes from the base to give Finn as much time as he could. - (A8/D7/B7/I7) Overall: 7.5/10

10. Finn Russell: Not sure whether he relished the heavy treatment dished out but always puts up with it. Teams concentrating too hard on him leaves room for Scotland's new look attacking midfield; witness Farrell biting to create the hole for Jones that set up the first try, then the same player attempting to empty Finn so fully he was utterly out of place for Duhan's solo try. Defensively he handled everything thrown at him. When Finn what could be seen as a "quiet" game, everyone else miraculously plays well. - (A8/D9/B6/I8) Overall: 8/10

11. Duhan van Der Merwe: Out of place a few times on the wing for England's tries, but he's not in the side for his defence. Both of his attacking tries will go down in the annals of Calcutta Cup great scores. The last was a team effort but he still had to work to finish it. The solo try from his own half is almost indescribably good - unless you're the English defence coach. That he did it with a shoelace undone and managed to shift the ball from hand to hand so he could fend off Dombrandt better - wow. - (A10/D6/B6/I9) Overall: 8/10

12. Sione Tuipulotu: That grubber (while a split second from being tackled) for the games first try was world-class. The man is quite simply on fire at the moment, and aside from an early blip when Freddie Steward bounced him off an attempted tackle, didn't do much wrong either in attack or defence. Bundling the hot-stepping Marcus Smith into touch on the hour mark was a late highlight. - (A8/D8/B6/I8) Overall: 7.5/10

13. Huw Jones: Continued his form against England as if he'd never been away with some lovely quick feet and safe hands to gather the bouncing ball for the opening try. - (A8/D8/B6/I6) Overall: 7/10

14. Kyle Steyn: Quite quiet compared to what you'd see from Darcy Graham in the shirt but did his job well and became more involved as the game went on (maybe kicking to Duhan isn't such a great idea?). Does he get an assist for passing the ball to Duhan to start his weaving run? - (A7/D9/B6/I5) Overall: 7/10

15. Stuart Hogg: Quiet afternoon but with almost everyone else in the backline having a good day he could perhaps afford it. Played a useful role in the kicking duel (there was plenty of that) but will probably wish he could have the near miss between him and Steyn over again as that could have put the game to bed a lot earlier. - (A7/D5/B6/I7) Overall: 6.5/10

Replacements

Rated on Attack, Defence, Breakdown and Impact

16. Fraser Brown: Huge confidence to throw over the tail metres from his own line as his first act in the game, and maintained that level for the twenty minutes he was on for. Lovely hands in the build up to the final try. - (A7/D6/B6/I7) Overall: 6.5/10

17. Jamie Bhatti: Played his part in the defensive rear-guard as England piled on pressure in the 22 late in the game. - (A6/D6/B6/I6) Overall: 6/10

18. Simon Berghan: Barring injuries, replacement tighthead is one of the few positions that might see changes next week. Didn't do too much to dissuade that argument under pressure in the scrum from Mako Vunipola. - (A6/D6/B6/I5) Overall: 6/10

19. Jonny Gray: Had little impact going forward in the last quarter of an hour, but if you need someone to come on and tackle for their life, Gray's your man. - (A6/D6/B6/I6) Overall: 6/10

20. Jack Dempsey: Had a couple of strong carries in his 20 minute Six Nations debut but a pass into touch just as Scotland clawed some momentum back for the final ten minutes will be one he wants to forget. - (A7/D6/B6/I6) Overall: 6.5/10

21. George Horne: Played the final ten minutes and somehow managed to win a breakdown penalty. - (A6/D6/B7/I7) Overall: 6.5/10

22. Blair Kinghorn: Myself included, some doubted the impact this bench could have but Kinghorn had several key interventions tidying up at the back and his pace into the line from full back kept England worried. Kick started the move inside their own 22 that led to the match winning score. - (A7/D8/B6/I8) Overall: 7.5/10

23. Chris Harris: Snuffed out a Marcus Smith break. Like Gray, bringing Harris off the bench for five minutes to defend a lead doesn't seem like such a bad plan after all. - (A6/D7/B6/I6) Overall: 6.5/10

Team Attack: 158/230
Team Defence: 164/230
Team Breakdown: 145/230

Scotland will, it seems, never not be up for this fixture and you could see the delight on Townsend’s face when those tries came off. Is this finally the Scotland team playing the way he wants? Huge credit also to the defence, where the discipline was excellent and there was barely a hint of a high tackle or the sort of decision that could swing the story of a test match.

With Italy running France close and Wales not as awful as they seemed in their second half against Ireland, Scotland now have four very tricky fixtures ahead to show that they value this squad’s legacy in the rest of the tournament just as much as wins against the Auld Enemy.

Stats via ESPN

40 Responses

  1. I might come back to player ratings later.
    For now, it’s worth praising the Scotland supporters in Saturday’s crowd – perhaps the 24th player and worth a 10 out of 10?
    The vocal support for the team was fantastic. We were sitting a few rows down and to the side from a block of around 200 Scots, who gave it their all from start to finish.
    The 200 (plus me, surrounded by England fans) made a lot of noise, but it wasn’t until I got home and watched the recording that I realised just how many of us were there.
    Our fourth try on the tv recording picked up a massive crowd reaction. The Ritchie penalty at the end picked up even more of a response, because we knew we were going to win.
    Many of us have been travelling away for basically a decade and a half to watch us win very few 6N Tests.
    This was sweet, and I salute the loyal fans.

  2. Yes the noise suggested from the tv seemed extraordinary for an away match.
    Very jealous of all who travelled there in support.I’ve been to all the grounds over many many years and can only claim one Paris victory and a Twickenham draw.I’d have traded it all in to have been present on Saturday!

    1. It’s possible that our record in recent years against England, home and away, attracted more of us to Twickenham this year.
      Whatever, it was brilliant to hear the support and, tbf to them, every England fan we spoke to afterwards was gracious in defeat.
      Just a great day, really.

      1. What a day! Watching it back on the tv you realise what an atmosphere it was. I am still hoarse. Brilliant to hear “Scotland Scotland” at the end.
        I agree England supporters were very gracious in defeat – as they always are. It was a great example of top level sport with nailbiting drama being played and supported in great spirit. If only the politicians could do likewise

    1. You may be new to our system – but the score is an average of four “key” metrics that we adjust while watching the game. Kinghorn may have benefitted from doing several noticeable things well during his time on the pitch. We’re constantly trying to refine it to get better accuracy!

      1. I agree there is a matrix of the 4 criteria , it just seemed odd that a 15 min cameo came out the same as Jones time on the pitch , however I am not being critical. Keep it up, it is a talking point. No harm in that.

  3. Thanks for all the work with articles Rory, your keeping the blog alive. You deserve and hopefully are getting a cut off the Subscriber income from the podcast despite not being on their much as a lot of the listeners from there came from here and your work. It could also be worth setting up something on the blog perhaps for yourself and Kevin with his match previews for donations.

  4. I think Steyn is worthy of an 8. Made some good tackles, solid under the high ball and made a couple of really good runs, including in the build up to the final try when cutting back inside rather than forcing his way down the touch line set up Duhan nicely. As did his pass for that wonder try. Proved it was definitely the right call for Darcy’s stand in. And can also cover 13, which provides extra flexibility if needed.
    Must be some pretty good “tries to caps” ratios in our back line and Steyn will be up there after his 4-try haul a little while back.

  5. Good commentary on the players. An insightful comment on Richie as captain. Made a good call on posts with 12 to go, showed confidence and statement of intent IMO. He is settling to the role and less hot headed than his earlier self. I like his rapport with the refs.

    I cannot stand a moaning captain who stands in front of the referee, arms out remonstrating, head going from side to side and mouth open like a fairground clown. It is just not dignified or respectful.

  6. Did everyone else notice the best bit of the match – at the exact moment Duhan is handing off Dombrandt, Finn is reminding Farrell what a good player he is. Comedy gold. Watch the reply of the try… 😂😂😂

    1. There was an interview by Mark Palmer with Russell in the build up to the match – Russell talks about how much he admires Farrell and how well they get on. Obviously, they know each other from the last two Lions tours and have clashed on the European and international stages. So whilst it looks like animosity, I think it is two highly competitive individuals who know and respect each other, who want to win a personal duel. Farrell obviously had the medals, but Finn seems to get the better of him during their head to heads.

    2. Quality s**thousing from Finn there. It’s quite entertaining the amount of times Finn has made him look very silly over the years. He definitely lives in Farrells head rent free. Farrell was targeting him with cheap late hits the whole game, nothing particularly dirty just niggly and annoying, thing is it didn’t work and just played right into our hands. I don’t know if Farrell doesn’t trust smith or if it’s just Farrell used to playing 10 but he created a lot of holes in the line. Was it not Farrell that threw the intercept for Finns try in 2019 too?

  7. AWJ suddenly fit and available for Wales after his failed HIA. It’s now a neck injury apparently. This has got Gatland written all over it. Win at all costs – including at the expense of player safety.

    1. Yep….Wales & Gatland have to win this one…sounds desperate and makes a mockery of player safety regulations.

      We can expect the game to brought down to a physical slugfest with Wales focused on shutting our attack feeds down.

      Will be interesting selections by GT …might have to tweak the 23 a bit…then again maybe not.

      1. I think tweaking from a win is brave but also proactive…horses for courses….even bringing Harris back maybe not for Wales but France would be a decent proactive shout.

        Kinghorn stays to cover multiple positions…I even wonder if Horne starting would make sense for this game and White on bench?

        Wales will try to shut us down, so quick and unpredictable is perfect then White to close it out or go again if need be.

        We have enough kickers to turn the defense keep them honest…Watson can come back in for this maybe useful too.

        Does Mainland feature somewhere?not because Steyn was notexcellent just something different?

  8. I’d have Dempsey in, real bad luck for the benched Crosbie or Fagerson but Dempsey has that footwork to make the yards giving us front foot ball.
    Otherwise unchanged

    1. I wouldn’t change the back row…unless injury/fatigue results in the change. It has balance to it…and consistency also comes with consistency of selection. I don’t think Watson has done anything in the last 18months to warrant dropping Crosbie to make way. Watson is also a dedicated 7…there is no flexibility with that…Id rather Dempsey is next man up…and then Bayliss….who has also been playing regular games.
      Z Fagerson an obvious IN because of lack of depth…IF.. he is 100%ready. Lack of recent game time is a worry though.

      One possible change to the bench…that crossed my mind was Healy…I just have a feeling Russell is on for a rough ride..and who here is comfortable with Kinghorn as the 10 replacement?…not many Id bet. He is a 15 all day long….and a good one at that.

      1. If it’s a tight game as expected then Healy’s kicking from the tee could be very useful towards the end. From what I hear he’s a very confident lad who doesn’t shy away from pressure kicks. Bit of a conundrum to fit him in but one obvious option is to start Kinghorn at 15 and drop Hogg from the 23 but if he’s fit then that clearly won’t happen.

        Not sure what the weather forecast is for Saturday but another dry ball would serve us nicely. I suspect that’s why there were so few handling errors against England on Saturday.

      2. Looks like weather is projected to be decent …might be a bit blowey ..but crucially dry.

        Yeah …the more I think of it …Healy needs to be on the bench. We’re taking a risk if he isn’t.

        Hogg doesn’t seem 100% fit to me…sounds like he aggravated his injury v England too…if he can’t make it ..Kinghorn @15 for me.

    2. i’m sort of with you on this, mainly just that i can’t conceive how someone can put in a shift like M Fag and then repeat the same the next week and when you have the quality of Dempsey to come in maybe rotate them round. incredibly harsh to drop a guy for playing so well.

  9. Off topic….but read Scott Robertson likely to be announced the next NZ coach soon. Since it was rumored we were in for him.

    Vern Cotter quit Fiji also….

    1. Jamie Joseph is probably the best international coach who is certain to be available post-RWC. He also had designs on the AB job, not sure if he’d accept an assistant coach role. No idea if he would have any interest in Scotland but a 6N gig with a slightly buoyant side (if it lasts beyond next weekend) must have some appeal?

      Brad Mooar has also been coaching with Scotland alongside Pete Horne in AB Zondagh’s absence. He’s a former Scarlets and AB assistant coach so might be on a long list somewhere.

      Please oh please keep Franco where he is to continue his Glasgow revolution

  10. Just remember Wales will be lowering their heads in tackles and playing for red cards , that’s been their strongest attribute for years against us, they call it street wise, everyone else says they cheat like feck.

    1. Some truth in this: apparently in a recent 6N, Wales benefited from more red and yellow cards, than all the other teams in the competition put together.

  11. Wales team announced tomorrow. Wonder if they will stick or twist with personnel? I reckon they will wheel out the old band – who know a thing or two about beating Scotland – so we’re going to have to adapt to a wily game plan that tries to suck us into a dogfight.

    1. We’ll soon see if GT and experienced players have learned how to overcome Gatland tactics.
      I think it will tell us a lot about where we are truly at.
      Im not an appreciator of Gatland style …it looks like rugby league to me.
      We just need to be disciplined and play to our own strengths…let them try and adapt.

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