England vs Scotland RECAP: Red Roses take Calcutta Cup glory after last gasp Russell miss

That’s all for tonight, thanks for joining us!

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Maro Itoje conceded England still had to improve their attacking game after the dramatic win.

“It was a mixed performance,” he said. “We didn’t do everything as well as we wanted.

“In the first half and second half, we didn’t play as much as we should have. That’s to work on. There is loads for us to do there, loads.”

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My word…..what a finish.

Scotland’s last attack breaks down. They were one Finn Russell conversion away from a fifth straight Calcutta Cup.

England relief. They have got away with one.

Duhan van der Merwe scores in the corner!!!!!

Conversion to come…..it’s wide!

The drama at Twickenham. Seconds left….

England are edging to the Calcutta Cup.

A penalty bang on the half-way line, and it’s Fin Smith who steps up this time with a sublime effort.

After a lineout drive and heavy pressure England are awarded a penalty in front of the posts.

Marcus Smith doesn’t miss and Steve Borthwick’s side lead with 13 minutes to go.

Finally, the first points of the second half.

Marcus Smith is presented with a simple 25 metre penalty and he makes no mistake.

Game on…

Less than 30 minutes left and Scotland still lead 10-7 at Twickenham.

Both sides have blown chances, though. The Calcutta Cup is heading for a tense finish.

Not the news fans want. Supporters planning to attend a Six Nations fixture in either the UK or Ireland have been warned of a potential Guinness shortage.

According to the , the risk ois due to unprecedented demand, sparking fears of price hikes and an uncertain supply for remaining fixtures.

The concern comes amidst reports that Diageo are looking into selling the Guinness brand with its growing popularity, particularly among Gen Z and younger drinkers. Diageo have recently denied such suggestions.

A spokesperson for the Licensed Vintners Association said: “The surge in Guinness’ popularity has been phenomenal, but it’s placing immense pressure on breweries, distributors, and pubs. There’s genuine concern that availability could be severely impacted, especially if consumption trends at Six Nations fixtures continue.”

Scotland back in front!

Great play from winger Duhan van der Merwe sets up centre Huw Jones for another five-pointer.

Some first 20 minutes!

An instant response! Heavy pressure ends with winger Tommy Freeman burying over and Marcus Smith adds a simple two points.

Not in the England script that.

A lovely Scottish move is rounded off by No.9 Ben White. The conversion is wide but Gregor Townsend’s men lead.

Rugby fans have been scathing over the bunker review system after Ireland were allowed to replace Garry Ringrose 20 minutes after his red card.

Pundit Jonathan Davies argued the sanction isn’t harsh enough for dangerous play, with fans online echoing similar sentiments.

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Wow, what a Test match. Ireland pushed to the limit by a rejuvenated Welsh side but in the end, it’s three from three for Simon Easterby’s side.

That is that. Prendergast takes his tally off the boot to 17 points and Ireland are now more than a score up with seconds left….

From half-way, Prendergast lands a monster kick and Ireland edge six points clear.

Wales are back on the attack though….

The tournament leaders are back in front as Prendergast kicks them ahead.

A HUGE finish in store in Cardiff….

Crossfield kick and James Lowe outjumps Blair Murray – and taps the ball inside for the full-back to score on his Six Nations debut.

No conversion but Ireland level.

Just two minutes before they can go back up to 15, Sam Prendergast reduced the deficit to five points with a simple penalty.

Would you believe this. Turnover ball and Tom Rogers dives over spectacularly in the corner.

Anscombe is wide with the conversion but Wales are in dreamland.

Remember that following this, England host Scotland at 4.45pm looking to end a run of four Six Nations defeats against the ‘auld enemy’.

And the visitors have been given a huge boost with Finn Russell declared fit to start at outside half.

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And the Principality Stadium erupts!

After heavy pressure, Jac Morgan buries over and Anscombe adds the extras.

That’s half-time and Wales lead against 14 men.

A turning point?

Ireland centre Garry Ringrose is yellow carded for a dangerous tackle on Ben Thomas, and is sent to the ‘bunker’ for 10 minutes.

Anscombe reduces the deficit before at the other end, Prendergast hits the post with his own effort.

Wales strike straight back as No.10 Gareth Anscombe lands the first three points of the Matt Sherratt era.

After conceding three successive scrum penalties, the fourth time they pack down the visiting pack gets the verdict.

This time, no thought of the corner and Sam Prendergast makes no mistake from the tee.

It hasn’t taken long for the holders to get going in Cardiff.

No thought of taking three points from a close-range penalty, and from the lineout that follows Joe McCarthy makes a burst and Jack Conan is on hand to power over. Sam Prendergast converts.

Matt Sherratt’s first Wales match as coach is underway, but not that his family will be pleased.

Speaking ahead of the match, he explained: “It’s my brother-in-law’s 50th birthday this weekend and I got tickets for everyone to watch the game in the Cardiff clubhouse.

“But since I took the Wales job they are fuming with me and pestering me every day, asking if I can still get the tickets and have I got any free drinks.

“They only wanted to go with me because I get a pint for £2! They are frightened to death they will have to pay £3.50 per pint. I’m not sure they wanted me there for my company or my contacts!”

Anthems were sung, and we are underway at the Principality Stadium…

Former Wales captain Ryan Jones has questioned whether the right people are in charge of Welsh rugby after Warren Gatland left his role halfway through the Six Nations tournament.

“It’s almost unheard of for a coach to be sacked during the Six Nations, especially on the back of what was supposed to be a robust review (in November),” he told Express Sport.

“I do think it’s incredible we’ve got to this point. Is sacking Warren the solution to the ills in Welsh rugby? No it’s not. Whether they’ve got the right people to address everything is a different question.”

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New interim Wales boss Matt Sherratt has a ‘stealing numbers’ tactic that he hopes will give his side the edge against Ireland.

Welsh rugby ace Dan Biggar explained the tactic in his column ahead of the game. He said: “Jockey [Sherratt’s nickname] talks a lot as a coach about what he calls ‘stealing numbers’ in everything his teams do.

“What that means is outworking your opposition to create an extra man and therefore more space in which to attack.

“One way Jockey will look to do that is for his forwards to clear rucks effectively to minimise the numbers Ireland will have in the defensive line.”

Former Scottish rugby ace Kenny Logan doesn’t believe Twickenham still has its charm.

Speaking to , he said: “No. I think Twickenham in general has lost a bit of aura. It’s a bit like the Man United feeling.

“Teams would go to Old Trafford and wonder how they would win there because United were so dominant. But now United are losing games at home and so are England – it is no longer a fortress.

“Scotland has had good success in the last three or four years down there. And a lot of the players that are playing this season have been there before.”

Current Six Nations standings ahead of week three

1 – Ireland (10 pts)

2 – France (6 pts)

3 – England (6 pts)

4 – Scotland (5 pts)

5 – Italy (4 pts)

6 – Wales (1 pts)

Wales and Ireland have been banned from wearing their traditional colours in Six Nations matches.

Red and green colourblindness is one of the most common, with new rules stating when the two meet, the away side must change their strip.

As a result, Ireland will be donning their lesser-seen white kit in Cardiff on Saturday.

Steve Borthwick opted for just the one change ahead of England’s Six Nations clash with Scotland on Saturday evening.

Ollie Chessum has been handed a first Test start for the Red Rose, with George Martin the casualty.

Full England XV:

15-M Smith; 14-Freeman, 13-Lawrence, 12-Slade, 11-Sleightholme; 10-F Smith, 9-Mitchell; 1-Genge, 2-Cowan-Dickie, 3-Stuart, 4-Itoje (capt), 5-Chessum, 6-T. Curry, 7-Earl, 8-Willis.

Replacements: 16-George, 17-Baxter, 18-Heyes, 19-Hill, 20-Cunningham-South, 21-B. Curry, 22-Randall, 23-Daly.

Here’s what you can look forward to in the Six Nations this weekend:

Saturday

Wales vs Ireland – 2:15pm

England vs Scotland – 4:45pm

Sunday

Italy vs France – 3:00pm

has thrown his full weight behind Marcus Smith ahead of Saturday’s clash against Scotland.

Smith missed a series of crucial kicks during England’s win over France and was eventually replaced on duty by fellow namesake Fin Smith.

Borthwick revealed earlier this week that Marcus would retain kicking duties for the Scotland match – a decision that has stirred up some controversy.

Speaking ahead of the Calcutta Cup meeting, he said: “He’s a world class goal-kicker. We all know that, so it’s very simple.”

On the duo, he added: “Listen, Marcus is a game-changer. Marcus is a player with incredible ability. Sometimes, the opposition focuses very much on him. Sometimes, that creates space for others. Sometimes, there will be a window for him to find.

“With Fin Smith and Marcus Smith, we have two ball-players, two people who see space in the front-line and in the back-field, and that’s going to be very important this weekend.”

Legendary rugby union referee Nigel Owens believes Welsh rugby should be looking to replicate the Irish set-up.

Owens spent 23 years as a man in the middle and has since turned his hand to punditry since retiring in 2020.

A Wales native, Owens believes his country’s rugby system will benefit by adopting a similar style to Ireland.

Writing in his WalesOnline column, Owens said: “The school system in Ireland is very strong, the Schools’ Cup gets sold-out grounds, which is very similar to what it’s like in New Zealand too. But here, our system is just all over the place.

“We must remember that here in Wales, we have wonderful community clubs who are vital to the success of Welsh rugby, as well as the schools, colleges and academies. They need to be an integral part of the system and development of our future players.

“We need a director of rugby to oversee all of this, work alongside the national team coach and sort out all of this out, so everybody is singing from the same hymn sheet. For me, everything should be coming under the umbrella of the WRU, the schools, academies and the clubs and everything all the way through.”

What a day we have ahead in the Six Nations!

England and Scotland headline Saturday’s action, but not before Matt Sherratt takes charge of his first Wales game following Warren Gatland’s departure.

Their opponents? The team he made over 60 appearances for as an international player… Ireland.

We’ll also be across the build-up to tomorrow’s Italy vs France meeting, as the Six Nations heads into the final furlong.