Player Ratings: England

Yesterday at 02:34 PM

OPINION: England's eight-year wait for a home win over Scotland came to an end on Saturday, as they ran out 16-15 winners in yet another epic at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium in round three of the Six Nations.

Steve Borthwick's side went into the fixture needing to back up their 26-25 victory over France in round two, having failed to do so last year following a similar victory over Ireland. They delivered on this occasion, lifting them to second in the Six Nations standings ahead of France's trip to Italy on Sunday.

It was far from perfect from the hosts – and the ratings show that – but there is finally a pep in England's step after a long time, and they head into their final two matches of the Championship against Italy and Wales with plenty of players in form.

Josh Raiseyrates the England players:

15. Marcus Smith – 6
A performance lacking the errors that were present against France, particularly from the tee. Was handed the devilish task of handling Duhan van der Merwe throughout the afternoon, which he understandably struggled with. Was targeted under the high ball as well, which he also just about came through. The move to full-back is a work in progress – definitely – but there was enough to show how England want to play with him sharing the play-making duties with his namesake. His one-on-one tackle miss on Stafford McDowall late on will not come back to haunt him.

14. Tommy Freeman – 8.5
Game by game, the 103kg Freeman is becoming more comfortable in an England shirt and his first try showed that. Coming off his wing and carrying in the middle of the field improves England's attack immeasurably. An excellent defensive read prevented a likely Scotland try at the half-hour mark which would have made it a two-score match. Did not give Van der Merwe any space in the second half, which unsurprisingly had a major influence on the result. Steadily creeping towards world-class status.

13. Ollie Lawrence – 7.5
Scotland tested his channel throughout the 80 minutes and as a result there was some good mixed with some bad. Caught defending a lot of space up against Van der Merwe for Scotland's opening try, but will not be pleased with how the Scottish winger stood him up and ran round him. A thunderous tackle on Jamie Ritchie woke the Allianz crowd up in the middle of the first half. His back-of-the-hand pass into touch just metres from the line summed up where England's attack is currently. He created the chance in the first place with a similar flick in contact to Marcus Smith, but got too excited seconds later and forced a pass, which is a habit of England's.

12. Henry Slade – 7
Found himself crashing the ball in the midfield, which is a poor use of England's resources and that resulted in errors. Maybe a greater sign of a side that is not all singing from the same hymn sheet currently. Made his presence felt late in the match, notably with some solid hits in defence.

11. Ollie Sleightholme – 5
Though up against the smaller of the Scottish wingers, Kyle Rowe, Sleightholme struggled to handle him at times and found himself being bumped off tackles. Most of his work during his 45 minutes on the field was either chasing kicks or fielding Scottish bombs, which does not necessarily suit him.

10. Fin Smith – 8.5
Retaining the No.10 jersey from round two, and passed the defensive test this week, which included a penalty-winning shot on Tom Jordan and a match-high 16 tackles. His grip on that England No.10 jersey is getting stronger. His long-range penalty only helped his cause.

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9. Alex Mitchell – 5
Slow and ponderous at times, which meant England had very little momentum in the first half. His box-kicking was not effective enough to help England work their way out of their half, as it took him a while to find his range. Injected a bit more tempo in the second 40, but it was not his finest afternoon.

1. Ellis Genge – 7.5
The best the loosehead has looked carrying the ball in a while. Had some real venom to his carries, which is the Ellis Genge England fans love. Hit rucks with equal ferocity as England looked to bring out their nasty side.

2. Luke Cowan-Dickie – 6
Perfect lineout display, which was very much needed after a shaky time against France. Only required for 45 minutes, but a solid display.

3. Will Stuart – 9
Huge scrummaging effort. Relieved a lot of pressure that was on his side with the penalties he won. Borthwick wisely kept him on as long as possible.

4. Maro Itoje – 8.5
Ill-disciplined display from the England captain in the first half but he ironed out his costly over-exuberance in the second stanza, as did the whole team. Snatched the ball from the clutches of Matt Fagerson deep in his own half early in the second half, and that typified how he hassled and stultified the Scottish attack throughout as England ground out the win. A lineout steal in his own 22 with minutes remaining was a captain's intervention.

5. Ollie Chessum – 7.5
The only change in the starting XV from the win over France, and helped solidify the lineout. The Leicester Tiger grew into the game, which is a testament to the engine he has more than anything. Though he dropped off some tackles early on, he led the charge in a defensive display where England absorbed a lot.

6. Tom Curry – 6
There were plenty of Scottish players who felt the full force of Curry's shoulders, but the flanker looked to be hampered by a leg injury for much of his match, which forced him from the field shortly after the break.

7. Ben Earl – 9
All action and world-class. The Saracen played like a traditional No.7 to start, with some terrific work on the ground. Inevitably he was not squeaky clean with a penalty conceded, but that's expected. Tom Willis' injury shifted him to the back of the scrum, where his focus changed to what he could do with ball in hand. Tackles, carries, rucks hit- Earl did everything.

8. Tom Willis – 6
Was proving to be a useful ball-carrier for England, managing to stay on his feet and keep driving when tacklers surrounded him. Was topping England's tackle charts when he was forced from the field before half-time with a head injury.

Replacements

17. Fin Baxter – 7
The type of player England wanted from the bench to close out a tight match that required plenty of defending.

18. Joe Heyes – 6
Left exposed as Scotland came close to scoring what could have been the match-winner.

19. Ted Hill – N/A
Only managed seconds at the end.

20. Chandler Cunningham-South – 7
Establishing a role as a 'finisher' for the time being, bringing some real physicality in the final quarter.

21. Ben Curry – 8.5
Made an immediate impact after coming on in the first half with a steal to end a promising Scottish attack.

22. Harry Randall – 6.5
England needed Randall's energy from the base as they ran the risk of trudging towards a defeat. Survived being charged down late on in his own 22, which could have decided the match.

23. Elliot Daly – 7.5
Made a strong case to start England's next match with an assured display from the bench, albeit with one slopping kick on the full

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