Much of the pre-match conversation in the run-up to the Calcutta Cup centered around England's blitzing defense and how it could take Scotland out of the game, but Duane van der Merwe's incredible hat The visiting team was shocked by Trick's try.
The big man was in good form against England.
He scored the try and ended Scotland's 38-year wait for victory against Twickenham in 2021. He returned to the same stadium last year and scored two tries in another famous victory. The first was an incredible run from 60 meters and the second was a try. It was a trademark finish and a great team move to snatch the victory in the closing stages.
His second try in Scotland's recent Calcutta Cup victory, the fourth on the bounce, was van der Merwe's devastating best. This finish, circling around the England defense and surging onto the line, was the kind of finish that few players in the game could pull off.
Van der Merwe is an attacking player and England don't have that talent.
When Scotland found themselves in trouble early on, it was Van der Merwe who kicked them into gear, ably supported by Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones. When the tide turned against England, they had no players to fall back on.
The visitors quickly got out of the blocks and when George Firbank's brilliant try extended their lead to 10 points, we thought we might be witnessing a genuine team victory. It was as I expected.
This opening try was one of their best in attack, as Tuipulotu and Jones missed their blitz to save Van der Merwe for Scotland's first try, and the home side quickly found themselves struggling with an England team running out of ideas. It didn't look like it was being done.
The noise coming out of the England camp during game week was about the power they would bring to Murrayfield. As Kevin Sinfield puts it, they were “ready to kick the door down.”
You might have been able to do that with the old Scottish teams, but not with this one. This Scottish team faced and defeated a bigger and stronger team than England this time around.
More was needed to upset this Scottish team in their own backyard. There's certainly more power, but the offensive play is more refined. The Scots ate almost everything they could throw at them, and England had neither the men nor the property to make a breakthrough.
England's bench was thought to be an area where they would have an advantage. The lively Immanuel Fay-Waboso scored a brilliant try and England's sub-team struggled to impose themselves. Instead, it was the Scottish substitutes who made a big impact.
Cam Redpath made a vital break in the build-up to the third try to turn defense into attack. Andy Christie once again made a convincing case for a starting role. And the much-maligned Elliott Miller-Mills came up with a major transfer to quash England's hopes of a second-half comeback.
There was no hint of giddyness after the game from head coach Gregor Townsend, who constantly reminds us that this game means more to the Scots than any other. has been conveyed.
After all, he masterminded five wins and one draw in seven Tests against Scotland's arch-rivals. Of course he was satisfied, but he was quick to point out the chances his team had left.
The frustration of winning 30 points but not getting a bonus point was evident after the first round in Cardiff, when Scotland led 27-0 after 43 minutes but escaped with just four points. You will feel the same frustration.
Winning is everything, but there is a deep-seated knowledge that bonus points could be important in the final realignment. Scotland need to get better at attacking teams properly when they have them where they need to be.
France saved the day in the second round with the help of match officials, but Scottish players and coaches say how not letting the match disappear before the second round contributed to their downfall. Told. A dramatic and controversial finale.
Had they gotten over the line against France and secured the guaranteed bonus points with wins over Wales and England, they would have been one point behind leaders Ireland instead of six.
“There's clearly room for growth in this team,” Townsend said of his men, but the truth is that this England team is no longer the barometer by which they measure themselves as part of the first team. The real test will come on the final weekend in Dublin, after a trip to Rome to face Italy.
England will undergo tests a week before the champions come to Twickenham, after already dispatching France, Italy and Wales in rather ruthless fashion.
If England can reach the level they saw when they beat South Africa in the World Cup semi-finals, perhaps we can properly assess Andy Farrell's giants. Anything less could mean Ireland go into the final round against Scotland with a maximum of 20 points and the title already in hand.
Head coach Steve Borthwick said before the Calcutta Cup that England were further behind in travel than Scotland. The Scotsmen reminded him how true that was.
