Calcutta Cup misery ends thanks to late Russell miss

For the second game in a row, England found a way. Having been battered and beaten by a relentless Scotland, Steve Borthwick’s side somehow stayed in the contest, edged into the lead and rode their luck to hold on to the most dramatic of 16-15 wins and finally end their half-decade of Calcutta Cup woe.

- LUKE BAKER

There was some irony to the fact that it was England’s tormentor-in-chief from the recent past, Finn Russell, who, having missed two earlier kicks, saw his touchline conversion at the death drift agonisingly wide to leave the visitors one paltry point short in the final reckoning. So often the match-winner, he took on a more heartbreaking role to leave the men in white exhausted but celebrating the end of an unwanted streak.

“I don’t want to do that again,” chuckled a still shell-shocked Ollie Chessum on the pitch immediately after the win, referencing the nail-biting finale. There was likely a sizable contingent of fans inside Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, who would agree as they try to get their heart rate back down to a normal level before going back to work tomorrow morning.

It’s now three Six Nations contests on the spin where England have been dominated in the first half, yet have battled to stay in the match at the halfway mark. While Ireland eventually proved too strong in Dublin on the opening weekend, Elliot Daly’s late try downed France a fortnight ago and now the ever-so-slightly errant boot of Russell, combined with the pinpoint kicking of England’s twin Smiths – Marcus and son of Scottish parents Fin – delivered long-sought retribution over their oldest foe.

After 12 months of exhibiting an almost comical inability to see out close games during a frustrating losing streak against tierone nations, England are suddenly cashing in all their chips to grab narrow wins at the death.