Five players Borthwick must drop despite Scotland win – who should replace them
Yesterday at 02:37 PM
England edged towards the business end of the Six Nations in contention for the title as Finn Russell missed a 79th-minute conversion and Scotland’s Calcutta Cup winning streak ended at Allianz Stadium.
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Tries from Ben White and Huw Jones gave the dominant visitors a three-point half-time lead, but England hung in the fight and got the better of the breakdown after the break.
A pair of penalties from Marcus Smith and a booming kick from halfway from Fin Smith put England 16-10 clear going into the final nine minutes.
Yet Scotland shot back with wing Duhan van der Merwe going over in the corner after replacement Stafford McDowall had cantered through the heart of England’s defence.
But, as Allianz Stadium held its breath, Russell, who had missed two previous shots off the tee, pushed a potentially match-winning conversion inches wide of the left upright.
Despite the win, the bench once again got a misfiring starting XV out of jail.
With England still in the title race, this article also takes a look at five players who should be dropped ahead of the next round.
#1. Marcus Smith
Mail Online 5.5/10: “Repeatedly tested and troubled by Scottish high kicks then sliced a clearance before fast break nearly set up a try. Kept probing from deep.”
Express 5/10: “Run over by Van der Merwe for Scots' second and butchered one try”
Telegraph 6/10: “Something for both the lovers and the haters. Acted as a speed bump for Van der Merwe and sliced one kick out of play but produced a couple of electric runs.”
Replacement: Freddie Steward
#2. Henry Slade
Mail Online 5/10: “Kicked away possession early on and few chances to dictate and distribute. Spent his time living off scraps in midfield and scrambling to contain Scots.”
Telegraph 4/10: “If ever a moment summed up Slade it was him stopping Russell's penalty making touch and then shanking his own kick out. Made a couple of other costly errors.”
Replacement: Elliot Daly
#3. Alex Mitchell
Mail Online 5/10: “The sight of him sending an endless stream of box kicks skywards began to irritate the crowd and the first boos rang out soon after half-time.”
Rugby Pass 5/10: “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. Failed to win over the Twickenham crowd.”
Replacement: Harry Randall
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