Tell us what you thought of today’s match between England and Scotland. What were the main talking points? Which players stood out?
Give the match a rating out of ten, and then share your opinions in the comments below.
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Brutal. The best six nations performance by any team for some time.
do you mean the most one sided ? , best rugby ? or is your opinion based on attack?, in which case i can agree to a certain extent , i found myself switching channels after 15 mins as it was so boring , the game was over in 15 mins , no excitement , nothing to be tense about, ..Ireland and Wales would have also beaten the Scots today but yes,..they would have been closer matches imo , but over this w/e game this was the one that bored me the most ,…David v Goliath with the expected outcome , = yawn
Possibly the worst comment I’ve ever read on this site. Congratulations!
whatever floats your boat , a 35-36 or a 65-5?,… a competition or a slaughter ?
The point being the original comment was about the performance not the spectacle and you can’t argue that it was a fantastic performance by England. Was the Wales Ireland game a better spectacle for a neutral? Sure, but if you were bored watching the Eng/Scot game then you are not a rugby fan so bugger off and watch football!
There was no coming back from that first 20 minutes, in which everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Scotland. Credit to England for such a performance. From a Scotland perspective the second half was actually an decent watch as we finally played a bit of rugby.
Such a shame about the injuries, by half time 7 of Scotland’s best possible starting 15 were injured. I believe that was the reason for the defensive frailties, for example Watson’s try came from Price not knowing to cover Watson hence England had an extra man. Fraser Brown’s yellow set the town and effectively ended the game for Scotland before it had started. However there were a number of positives for Scotland: 1.Hamish Watson was once again outstanding with the ball in hand.
2. Russell showed some magic in the second half after the first 40 where he didn’t get one phase of quick, front foot ball.
3. Visser looked very good once he finally got the ball.
4. I was correct in my prediction that Jones would get a brace of tries, his bump off on Farrell was immense (although I think it would of been replayed if it had been done by an Englishmen)
Most of all I am just sad by the lack of the rugby spectacle due to the luck (or lack of) of the Scottish and the brilliance by England.
good summary , it was over as soon as the ref killed the game by a sending off , the writin was on the wall, just to rub salt into the wound the best full back in europe and scotlands last hope also lost , a shame as it could have been worth watching, i find a one sided game very boring .
The ref bottled out of giving Brown a red card. The fact that Daley only returned briefly to the field indicates that he didn’t land on his back. The tackle was late and dangerous, and if Scotland had been down to fourteen for the entire game the score could have been nearly 100.
Scotland should have been down to 14. Red cards have been given for far less.
As for the game being over from that point. Balls. England beat Argentina in the autumn despite being a man down from a similar point in the game.
The game was over because Scotland have flattered to deceive by beating a crap Welsh team and an over rated Ireland team. Their loss to France was far more indicative of their current standing.
you are so right in everything you have written, never mind being pc towards the celits the fact is for years and years they have played the spoiling game and they are were very good at it. However this year they convinced themselves they could play 15 man rugby well now we have the answer no no no they can not
What a load of super-annuated Aussie tripe!
You just wanted Scotland to win in the usual guise of Aussie-proxy in order to get one over Mother England.
As soon as Scotland didn’t oblige you cried foul.
Pull the other one….you must think we’re all stupid or summat!
What i’d love to see on here is a whole load of Aussies (David Campese included – that notorious anglophobe!) Genuinely and sincerely congratulate England.
No ifs and buts……just a fair dinkum well done cobber!
God that would be refreshing!
CC
You credit England and rightly so, they played some sublime rugby, and yes Scotland didnt have the rub of the green but at the end of the day Scotland couldnt cope, they made error after error in the first half, Finn Russel when you needed him to step up had his poorest game in a Scotland shirt, missing touch and throwing wild passes on his try line. Scotland looked indisciplined throughout, picking fights and that yellow really could have and perhaps should have been a red.
Scotland unlucky yes, but they certianly didnt help themselves. England superb.
Finn Russel thats called pressure and you couldn’t handle it!!!!. however you still could be awesome
Sublime english back play!
It was the missing piece in EJ’s jigsaw – a masterful 90 minutes of rapier-like attacking rugby. The scots were plagued with injuries but that cannot detract from the fact that at times it looked like England were toying with them. 61 points!
Truly a performance to compare with the ABs.
Nice momentum builder for Dublin, thought Joseph was sublime. My only niggle is browns out right refusal to pass … ever, daly at 15 going forward for me.
for sure , Brown was crap !
He didn’t miss a tackle, caught every high ball and made as many yards going forward as anyone on the field. He is clearly playing to instructions by taking the ball into contact almost every time he gets it. There may be other options in the future, but he does an awful lot right and I like his attitude. He is certainly not “crap”.
Well worth noting how many times Kearney and Zebo were swallowed up and either turned over or slowed up by the Welsh defence every time they tried to run the ball like Brown.
Strangely, despite being crap according to most on this site, Brown seems to drag two or three tacklers in every time and yet still presents the ball quickly and cleanly for the next phase.
One might think he’s doing exactly what he’s being asked to do…
Spot on with both comments on this thread Pablito.
I find it hard to believe that Brown has been told to run straight and not pass when he has a man outside him and only two defenders in front in a drift defence.
To not even think about passing, dummying or kicking a grubber through with Watson outside him is ridiculous. There is a time to take the ball into contact and recycle, but there is also a time to challenge the defence. At the moment Brown is choosing the former every time.
I can’t think of of the specific incident you are referring to Dazza but you can point to almost every player during a match and say that at some point they could have made a better choice than they did.
Unless you think that after every game Brown has played under EJ, the coach takes him to one side and says ‘Not great again Mike. I told you to pass the ball more often. I’ll give you one more chance and that’s it’ – repeated 18 games in a row, then Brown must be doing what is asked of him.
And what he does is good. Very solid defensively and in the air. Drags defenders in on every run he makes, never dies with the ball and almost always presents his forwards with a target and the scrum half with clean ball.
Pablito, thank God you’re on here to provide the voice of reason re Mike Brown. It bemuses me that this bloke attracts to much negative criticism. One of the most reliable players in world rugby and part of a team dynamic where the players have a mutual understanding that is growing more cohesive with each game. Whereas it seems a lot of people here presumably watch Brown collect the ball and think “oh here we go again, we know what he’s going to do now” with a sense of disappointment and frustration, it gives me – and I suspect his team-mates – a huge amount of reassurance.
As the ball is still in mid-flight, you know that these things will happen at least 9 times out of 10:
– Brown will definitely catch it if unopposed, (is also very likely indeed to win an aerial contest)
– will not do anything stupid or risky once he has it
– will get at least to the gain line and usually beyond with pace and power
– will interest at least 2-3 defenders
– will not be turned over at the breakdown unless vastly outnumbered
– will present good clean ball.
I can’t say for a fact, but I reckon if I were one of Brown’s team-mates I would bloody love that. As a forward I’d know I won’t have far to track back in order to hit the ensuing ruck; as a back I’d be confident that the ball will be coming out on our side so I can go ahead and get into an attacking position.
Some might argue that the things I listed above are just the basics and he should offer more; I think his consistency in delivering these things make him worth his weight in gold.
Edit: “Brown will definitely catch it if unopposed” – should have said “even under immense pressure”, not if unopposed.
Hat-tip also to Andy, as another voice of reason this subject.
Well said – yes sometimes I wish Brown was more creative and passed just a little more. But in terms of what he brings to the team you have hit the nail on the head.
Although I might change ‘with pace and power’ to ‘with sheer hard-headed belligerence’
He does a similar role to Robshaw in the pack – his hard work allows the others to shine.
I’m not denying that what he does is efficient and effective, but having heard so many players talking about individual improvements to better the team, he is probably the one player I haven’t seen improve under Eddie. And yes often when he gets the ball I think to myself that I know exactly what’s going to happen. Run back at pace, take into contact and present the ball. The problem for me is that he does it even when it looks like there is something on.
I would just like to see someone else given a shot in the 15 shirt. Just to see how it goes.
I think peeps need to remember that only a couple of years ago Brown was considered the Number 1 15 in the world.
I must admit that I do wish he would pass a bit more. But what he does do is make yards and that is a massive plus for the team.
I do think if he passed a bit more then defences might be a bit more wary of contact. But at present they know he is going to come at them. However, he still makes ground so you can’t moan too much ;)
have to agree, Daly looks class, pace,a great boot and knows where to be .
Stunning win for England. I really hope they carry it through to next week, or will Ireland have the honour of halting 2 world record winning runs!
…….rampant, clever at times. No silly tactics, which was nice….and Billy back, oh how good is he going to be. It was coming, that performance….a bit like Wales did, but without the public humiliation that North et al had to endure….England….slow starters, risking losing the supporters, possible booing at HQ…yeah righty oh….
The upshot was clinical, with possible EJ reprisals due to some poor defending…
The backlash in Dublin will be a different matter entirely, but no one said world records would be easy and not even dreamt of from a Northern Hem’ team….what heady times for the red rose!!! ?
I love reading how hard it is for certain neutrals to give praise where praise is due.
England destroy a team largely fancied by many and yet it is ‘boring’ when they do so. Let’s not forget the hype around this Scotland team before kick off. England onwards and upawards from here.
All the talk will be about how England will handle the expectation but I suspect Ireland won’t have been to overjoyed by England’s performance
Any news on any of the injuries? I can’t find anything. As an Englishman I’m particularly interested in how Daily will be for next week but also hope none of the jocks are too badly hurt.
I can’t either. Hope Daly is ok but not at all worried if it’s Watson starting. Also hope Hogg et al are ok and make it back to rally the team for the last game.
This Scotland side has amazing potential. Just look at Hugh Jones, Watson, Visser and, of course, Hogg. They had a bad day at the office yesterday but will undoubtedly bounce back. Yes, Scotland were hit by injury. But so we’re England. Hogg went off, but so did Daly. Scotland were incredibly lucky that They were not down to 14 men for 70 minutes. And I quite agree that England v Argentina shows that that would not necessarily have ended the game as a contest. The main reason why Scotland were made to look rather mediocre had much more to do with the quality of England’s performance. England were lucky to have reached 17 unbeaten in a row. Yesterday’s performance was the first which made me think that this England team could give the All Blacks a run for their money. Well played, England!
Without doubt if you are an English supporter then you are going to give a score of 10/9, Scottish supporters then a 5 at best. As. Neutral scoring a very one sided match were England when they were good, there were very good, and Scotland scored tries showing guts and determination; 8. Now Hutch how’s the Lions selections looking from SuperBru?
England are now in an assured mental place that puts them on par with The ABs. Continued success make the visulization of where you want and need to be a lot easier. Every time the ABs step on the pitch they expect to win. England expect to win and as a fan so do i. Anything less than a Grand Slam should be considered a failure.
No one else in this competition can offer the flat gainline Attack and that is why Scotland were undone.
Hogg still 1st choice fullback for the Lions.
Totally agree with the Brown being ‘GREAT school of thought!’
The utter crap written on here about him is a shame IMO.
He is clearly running EXACTLY where he has been told to by EJ – infield to the middle of the pitch where England can choose where to go: left or right; presenting the defending side with a quandary. He runs well and he runs to orders!
He’s also the only england fullback who can put in rib-breaking Josh Lewsey-style tackles and put his man down every time (1 x omission in the Italy game being Campagnaro who was immense running a totally indefensible line)
Brown crap….i don’t think so
England arrogant…i don’t think so.
England bloody brilliant…i do think so!
But he’s still not passing in the outside channels either when there are clear opportunities to challenge the defence. He does do a lot of good work but I think Daly, Watson or Nowell could be just as good defensively but more effective in attack.
Dazza
With all due respect no decent coach changes one of his key players in or prior to a crunch game “just to give someone else a go!” (not without giving him a gun first to use in quick fashion after the game is over!)
Perhaps in 12 months time when Italy come up again but not last Saturday and definitely not this coming Saturday! There is too much at stake to just have a tinker or go misty eyed about some other progressive and good looking number 15 with a good pair of thighs and a hefty boot!
RE Brown, to me the slightly tongue in cheek paraphrase from the Big Bang Theory comes to mind: “he’s excellent at what he does, its just that what he does isn’t worth doing”. Yes, he’s good at taking the ball back into play and recycling, but that squanders an attacking position that you see the ABs and to a lesser extent Scotland/Aus and the likes use. So it’s safe, if unspectacular.
Agree with Pablito…..it was a red. Daly’s red against Argentina was a lot softer and no one complained, least of all Daly.
Next….
Brown always used to beat the first man, then most of the time the second and then sometimes the third. Now everyone puts two or three tacklers against him and he doesn’t beat them but always lays a really clean ball back with two or three players effectively removed from open play. To critique Mike Brown for what is obviously a game play is a demonstration of a lack of understanding, nothing else. I like Browny, he is intimidating, committed and will occasionally shock. If the plan is blown then he will break the line and please the uneducated again….win win.
Big big game next week..Dublin ain’t soldier field, it’s bigger. Loved that game though, the tribute to Foley summed up everything that makes the game so special and why we all get so cranked up….and get so together.
AlexD & Burt – spot on re Brown. Imagine how confident you’d feel playing with a full back like that.
Stroudos
I used to play there so can appreciate his bloody mindedness and guts.
Three privileges to playing 15:
1) You make a try- saving tackle when you’re the last man; all the eyes are on you (maybe some of the plaudits too over a beer after)
2) Its a do or die position where get it right…Wahey…but get it wrong and god help you! (maybe #2 ain’t such a good thing)
3) with a panoramic view of everything in front of you….choose your time and your moment and you’re in try time.
Indeed. Have played full back quite a bit myself and thoroughly enjoy it.
I also often play with a bloke at full back, who I have literally never seen miss a tackle. The confidence that gives everyone is palpable. I really think knowing that Brown is going to do his thing reliably must provide a similar lift.
Great display of attacking rugby by England. This truly showed how good the Ford/Farrell axis is. The delayed passing and great timing were world class and Joseph was the main beneficiary.
Youngs passing was greatly improved which gave Ford and Farrell more time and it was exploited brilliantly.
Great to see Billy back and I expect him to start next week. I would have Hughes and Clifford on the bench and kick Wood to touch as he provides little or no impact off the bench.
Agreed about the Ford/Farrell axis. It worked brilliantly. There are so many options available to F and F with good ball that it’s an embarrassment of riches (even for an englishman)
That’s why the anti Ford/Farrell stuff on here is conversely misplaced (all in favour of Daly and Teo i presume)
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it! The F/F axis is THE key ingredient of EJ’s tenureship and England’s success so why in Christsake anyone would want to change it god only knows – the phrase “the grass is greener on the other side” springs to mind.
As soon as there are teething problems e.g like with France and Italy…it’s out with the Ford/Farrell axis and in with some untried and untested partnership.
Personally i don’t think Daly is a 12 or 13. A good wing and possibly a 15! That is all.
God’s answer to every back position he is not. 18 straight wins is no time to dump your winning attributes.
Teo is a bench player and possible finisher for when one of the F/F axis is injured in the WC for example.
Brown is the best England have in that position currently. So until Mike Haly steps up or Daly gets a run out at 15 its all academic and merely a talking shop!
Agree with the positive comments on Brown. He’s not my favourite player by any stretch and I hate him not passing when something is on, but he’s like Robshaw. You only realise what he brings to the team when he isn’t there.
England played great, Scotland very much did not, and even if they weren’t missing a dozen first 15 players, they still would have lost. Anyone saying Brown deserved a red is either extremely myopic or ignorant of the laws and guidance issued. Daly landed on his back, so it’s a clear yellow. If the fact that he was removed from the game was a factor that ‘proved’ it was a red then there should’ve been a red for Hughes’s late stiff-arm tackle on Seymour. It’s a bit rich that some England fans are complaining about the ref in a game they won and in a game where they were allowed to infringe at the ruck, tackle late, neck roll with impugnity and in which the Raynal gave so little leeway to Scotland, penalising odd offences and only citing Scotland for handbaggery.
England won because they were better, why not just enjoy that instead of moaning?
“…instead of moaning” ?
Is that written ironically?
Nah, we got thrashed, it’s alright for us to moan. It’s our right!
Fair ’nuff
England infringed that much? Must of been watching a different game mate and it wasn’t a stiff arm Hughes clearly wrapped his arms around.
The Ref had a great game especially pulling your Captain for being a petulant child, you say yourself your first 15 would’ve got beat yet make a list of excuses as to why England won.
Your boys got showed up for the crap outfit that they are, I hope Italy beat you next week too.
It sounds more like you just struggle to understand what’s going on to me. Good luck with that in the future.
Understood more than you and that useless bunch of no hopers you support.
Or do you want to throw in another excuse, blame the ref from the last World Cup perhaps?
I’m sure you did. You’ve really encapsulated the spirit of rugby in addition to displaying your knowledge in this post. Congrats.
Whats the hangup on knowledge, you know as much as anyone else bud, me included.
Shut up Steve you are embarrasing yourself and your country
Oh ouch Leon that’s cold, just like your Wife on a Hot and Sunny August Sunday morning.
“useless bunch of no-hopers”.
Thats very harsh and rather wide of the mark.
4th in World Rankings, and can feasibly finish 2nd in the 6 Nations.
OK, so let´s throw a couple of curve balls into the Lions mix. Given the positive comments on Brown (which I heartily endorse), does he go on the Lions tour for wet days in Wellington and Dunedin? Also, no-one mentioning Danny Care as a possible Lion? He is absolutely flying at present and presuming that Webb and Murray are already on the plane he would certainly bring something different from the bench.
Regarding TeamCam´s comment, as an ex-ref Brown would have got a straight red from me. The tackle was late, there was an intention to hurt, and Daly failed a head injury assessment which suggests he didn´t land entirely on his back. Another few inches of rotation and he was looking at a broken neck. The Hughes incident was nothing like so clear cut, and most of the handbags and whinging were initiated by Scotland out of frustration at getting stuffed, led by Barclay who should have known better as captain. Would Cam be short for Cameron by any chance?
You may well have awarded a straight red, and I applaud your courage in being so willing to go with your own interpretations over those of world rugby. No idea where you’ve gotten the ‘intention to hurt’ from. Most comments I’ve seen – and the commentary – seemed to believe it was a result of over-exuberance and flawed technique. Was the head injury not a result of the whiplash/clash of heads? Seems more likely. The ‘another few inches and…’ argument is irrelevant – another three inches higher and Hughes could have clotheslined Seymour. Barclay should have definitely known better, I’ll concede that. Why do you care if or what “Cam” is short for?
If a tackle is deliberately late, over-vigorous and made without consideration for the safety of the tackled player that to me constitutes an intention to hurt the player rather than to bring him to the ground. As such I would view that as serious foul play and worthy of a red card. I see no contradiction in this view and that expressed by World Rugby with regard to player safety. And I was interested as to whether Cam was short for Cameron because you viewpoint seemed to be singularly Scottish.
Non-Scottish people can be called “Cameron”, too, by the way. Sadly, they’re largely chavs, but there’s not much I can do about that.
I am Scottish, but support rugby first and foremost. I try my best to be objective, and largely just want to see consistency in decision-making so that we see a good game.
You argue that it was deliberately late, but it was certainly no later than Hughes’. The guidance for ‘tip’-style tackles is that if they land on their back it’s a yellow. Hence this same ref. only awarding a yellow for Toomua’s tip tackle on Russell in the Glasgow v. Leicester game last year (Russell extended his arm to prevent from landing on his head). A lack of consideration for safety is not the same as an intention to injure, even if the outcome’s the same.
It seems to me that you are applying different standards to players from different teams rather than looking at both objectively. I understand that, and am guilty of doing so myself (though I do try and challenge myself to minimise it), but I’m not an ex-ref…
Mike Brown.
I am not a particular fan of his, and I do not think that he is playing at a level he was last year or the year before.
However, I was sat high up in the North Stand, and in his defence, the Scottish defence rarely allowed any space wide, they chased the kicks well, so from my vantage point he made good decisions, in setting up the breakdowns rather than flinging the ball wide, where there was rarely any opportunity.
The midfield shortcomings are well documented but bear in mind that England had very little space out wide for most of the match.
Brown does almost EVERYTHING right bar sometimes not drawing his man and passing.
If you rewatch Saturday’s game he even did some passing (quite alot in fact though again without ‘fixing’ anyone when he did it)
At the end of the day what player doesn’t have a weakness or chink in his armour?
Yes he needs to work on it. When he has perhaps he will be finally be given the plaudits he deserves.
Unlike two seasons ago he is no longer given any space – one reason he doesn’t make the searing breaks he once did.