For the first time since 2020, England have won the Calcutta Cup against Scotland.
England won 16 to 15 against Scotland to take home the Calcutta Cup in a nail-biting match on 22 February.
Known to rugby fans as the oldest trophy in the sport’s history, the Calcutta Cup is played only by England and Scotland during the Six Nations tournament.
England flanker Chandler Cunningham-South, speaking to ITV, said: “We are just grateful. I think all the boys are so happy and relieved to get the cup back in our hands.”
Within the first four minutes Scotland scored a try by Ben White, making the score 0-5 to Scotland.
In response, England’s Tommy Freeman scored a controversial try – it was unclear if the ball touched the ground – and Marcus Smith converted it, allowing England to take the lead at 7-5 to England.
Ten minutes later, Huw Jones scored a try for Scotland, making it 7-10 to Scotland at half-time.
After the break, England came out strong and quick on the ball. However, their passes failed them in scoring.
Within the next twenty minutes, Marcus Smith took the kicks for England’s two penalties, allowing England to take the lead for the first time in the second half.
Fin Smith took the third penalty for England, making the score 16-10 for England.
In a mad dash to the finish line, at 80 minutes Scotland’s Duhan van der Merwe scored a try for Scotland, making the end result a close 16-15 for England.
At the end of the match, England coach Steve Borthwick, speaking to ITV, said: “Every game is important for England and you have to give Scotland credit, as they played a real smart game.”
England are still in contention after their wins against France and Scotland. However, they will need to maintain their winning streak against Wales and Italy and score as many points as possible while doing so.
