Will Greenwood lays into Steve Borthwick's tactics, he left England game 'deflated'

Yesterday at 04:58 PM

EEngland remain in the Six Nations title hunt, but their 16-15 victory over Scotland at Allianz Stadium left plenty of room for criticism.

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A missed 79th-minute conversion from Finn Russell sealed the fate of the visitors' Calcutta Cup streak, but the performance from Steve Borthwick's side wasn't exactly one for the highlight reel.

Scotland were the better side in the first half, with tries from Ben White and Huw Jones giving them a slim 10-7 advantage. But England, despite struggling in attack, hung on and made their presence felt at the breakdown after the break. Marcus Smith's pair of penalties and a booming kick from Fin Smith from halfway gave England a 16-10 lead heading into the final stretch.

Scotland responded late with Duhan van der Merwe going over in the corner after a break from Stafford McDowall, but ultimately, the missed conversion from Russell handed England a narrow win.

Former England star and 2003 Rugby World Cup winner Will Greenwood didn't mince his words when discussing the performance. Writing for The Telegraph, he said:

"Two weeks in a row, missed conversions have saved England's bacon. But the mood at full-time wasn't elation or relief – it was frustration. Fans were passing me in the Twickenham press box, grabbing my attention, and saying 'rubbish.' With the ball in hand, it's tough to argue."

Greenwood was highly critical of England's lack of attacking ambition, despite perfect conditions for rugby: "England were outscored 3-1 at home. Sixteen paltry points. They simply don't play rugby. I'm all for kicking for territory, but this was overkill. The first instinct was to kick – twice with an overlap, on turnover ball – rather than look to play. The try tally was a damning indictment of the attacking capabilities of this England side."

Drawing comparisons to his own team's victory over France in the 2003 Six Nations, Greenwood continued: "We were also outscored 3-1 that day, but the difference was that it wasn't a performance to celebrate. We weren't playing conservatively or clunkily. That's what England seem to be doing now – relying on kicking, bending over, pushing, jumping, and scavenging."

And it wasn't just England's performance that got under Greenwood's skin. He had high praise for Scotland's attacking play, especially the influence of Finn Russell: "Scotland move the ball with such joy. They stretch defences, they get people excited, and they look like they enjoy it. Hell, I enjoyed it! Scotland are brilliant to watch."

He also pointed out that if Russell had been on target with his kicking, Scotland could have had too much for England: "You never blame the goal-kicker, and Russell was magnificent with ball in hand. But on Saturday, I believe that if he brings his kicking boots, Scotland win. 21 points would have been too many for England to chase."

Greenwood didn't hold back on his thoughts about the England team, concluding: "It's a curious sensation, leaving Twickenham deflated after an England win against a rival – but I am. This was a missed opportunity. And that's not to disrespect Scotland – I love them – but England's victory was thanks to belligerence and a bit of luck. They do the basics well, but they don't do much else."

The win means England stay in the title race, but with another lacklustre performance, it's clear there are plenty of questions still to answer.

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Six players who flopped in the Six Nations today, one player ‘cost his team’

Ireland bagged their 14th Triple Crown in style, keeping their hopes of a historic third consecutive Six Nations title alive with a nail-biting victory over Wales in Cardiff.

Meanwhile, England edged closer to the business end of the competition, but a missed 79th-minute conversion from Finn Russell saw Scotland's Calcutta Cup winning streak come to a halt at Allianz Stadium.

But let's turn the spotlight onto the five players who didn't quite live up to expectations in today's Six Nations action…

#1. Finn Russell (Scotland)

Planet Rugby 5/10: “Not a game the Scotland co-captain will remember fondly as his goal-kicking proved costly and in the end it was the difference between winning and losing for his side. As expected, he asked plenty of questions of England's defence but his inability to convert any tries will haunt Scotland's fans for some time.”

RUCK 4/10: “Co-captain Russell's kicking was the difference in a heartbreaking result for the Scots, failing to make any of his three conversions from wide areas. While he was reliable away from the tee and all three kicks were near the touchline, there's no looking past his abysmal kicking in a gut-wrenching Scottish defeat which ends their championship hopes.”

Telegraph 5/10: “Missed a tackle for a Lawrence break. No problem finding width, but then what? Missed (tough) conversions were killer. A step back for his Lions hopes.”

#2. Garry Ringrose (Ireland)

RUCK 3/10: “Gave away a cheap penalty and a consequential yellow card when Ireland were on the back foot towards the end of the first half which not only gave Wales an easy three points but a bunker review upgrade to a red card took Ringrose out of the game really before he even got into it.”

Rugby Pass 4/10: “Back in the starting side after coming off the pine against Scotland. Maybe could have scored but for a poor pass from Jamie Osborne and was yellow-carded minutes later for a clumsy challenge that was upgraded to a 20-minute red.”

JOE 5/10: “Was good while he was in the pitch but his red card was costly.”

BALLS.ie: “Did little in attack but stuck all six of his tackles. Unfortunately, one of them was too high on Thomas and he copped a 20-minute red card.”

Planet. Rugby 3/10: “A bad day for the centre, who was red carded for a head-on-head collision with Ben Thomas and will probably sit out the rest of the Six Nations as a result.”

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