It is not often that I find myself supporting a team which is playing England and I don’t think I have ever cheered on Scotland but this was the case on Saturday afternoon.
Now, before I am called a traitor south of the border and slammed as a Englishman who just doesn’t like losing north of the border, I would say that I tuned in on Saturday afternoon to watch a game of rugby and the only team who were actually playing the game were Scotland. Even though it is probably one of the most important fixtures in world rugby (well as far as I am concerned), England simply didn’t turn up. Scotland did and they were superb, showing their English visitors that the Calcutta Cup is almost as important as the Six Nations title. The crowd at Murrayfield was wonderful and it was certainly an evening to remember for Scottish rugby.
For England it is back to the drawing board but before head coach Eddie Jones starts his autopsy he should make his team aware of a few words - passion and raising your game for the big occasions. England were lucky in their previous fixture against Wales and against Scotland all their faults were clearly visible for the world to see. Yes, Scotland played the game of their lives but after all they were playing for the Calcutta Cup in front of their home crowd. Scotland may not have the massive amount of rugby talent to draw on like England but they proved that they can come together for the big occasions.