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Scotland 20-17 England player ratings: Marcus Smith superb, Luke Cowan-Dickie costly | Matt Fagerson brilliant

Gregor Townsend's Scotland secure dramatic 20-17 Six Nations victory over England at Murrayfield on Saturday; below we pick through the player ratings for each starter from both camps, as Marcus Smith impresses, Luke Cowan-Dickie proves costly, and Matt Fagerson stands out

cowan-dickie
Image: Luke Cowan-Dickie's moment of madness cost England dearly at Murrayfield

We pick through the player ratings from Scotland's dramatic 20-17 Six Nations victory over England at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Ben White and Finn Russell, aided by a penalty try, were the heroes for Scotland as they claimed their first back-to-back wins over England since 1983/84 with a 20-17 victory at Murrayfield in their Six Nations opener.

England

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England head coach Eddie Jones says he was massively disappointed with the defeat.

15. Freddie Steward: Murrayfield proved a tough Six Nations baptism for a player who starred during the autumn. 5/10

14. Max Malins: Emerged as one of England's most effective carriers, even in heavy traffic. Will be disappointed to have finished on the losing side. 7/10

13. Elliot Daly: Starved of ball, he was unable to show he can be a genuine option at outside-centre in his first start there for England since 2016. 6/10

12. Henry Slade: Showed some nice touches and was at home at inside-centre, but will have finished massively frustrated. 6/10

11. Joe Marchant: Barely saw the ball in a long afternoon for the versatile Harlequins back. 5/10

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10. Marcus Smith: Scored all of England's points until he was replaced in the final quarter, including a brilliant try. Firmly looks the main man to lead Eddie Jones' side into the future 8/10

Marcus Smith celebrates his try against Scotland
Image: Marcus Smith looked to have brought England from behind to victory in Edinburgh before he was replaced

9. Ben Youngs: Set up Smith superbly for his try and his experience was needed at Murrayfield. 6/10

1. Ellis Genge: Tackled himself to a standstill and always an option to carry at close quarters. 7/10

2. Luke Cowan-Dickie: Impressed until he gave away a senseless penalty try that swung the match. No doubt it was the correct decision by the referee. 4/10

3. Kyle Sinckler: Like Genge, relished battling in the trenches and never took a backwards step. Should have been on a winning side. 7/10

4. Maro Itoje: A quieter afternoon for one of England's world-class forwards, while he gave away a cheap, late penalty. 6/10

Scotland v England - Guinness Six Nations - BT Murrayfield
England's Luke Cowan-Dickie (centre) is shown a yellow card during the Six Nations match at BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh. Picture date: Saturday February 5, 2022.
Image: Cowan-Dickie's senseless batting away of a cross-field kick was a clear yellow card and penalty try, turning the match

5. Nick Isiekwe: Banished memories of being hooked early in 2018, the Saracen made a solid comeback. 6/10

6. Lewis Ludlam: Fully warranted his recall to the back row with a physical shift full of commitment. 7/10

7. Tom Curry: An ever-present for England but his debut as captain ended in frustration. 6/10

8. Sam Simmonds: Explosive running was evident on several occasions. Deserves his place but will come under pressure to keep it now after defeat. 7/10

Replacements - Should Smith have been replaced in the final quarter? George Ford did nothing wrong but Smith was on fire. It was not the replacements that lost England the game, however. 5/10

Scotland

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Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend says he was delighted with the victory.

15. Stuart Hogg: The captain was not able to influence the game as he would have liked but played his part in a strong defensive showing. 7/10

14. Darcy Graham: The Edinburgh winger was Scotland's most dangerous attacking outlet, laid on White's try and looked electric. 8/10

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Image: Wing Darcy Graham was hugely impressive for Scotland

13. Chris Harris: The Gloucester centre was influential in a strong defensive performance that helped keep the English at bay. 7/10

12. Sam Johnson: The Glasgow centre was unable to impact the game as much as he would have liked. Replaced just after the hour mark. 6/10

11. Duhan van der Merwe: The Worcester winger was heavily involved in the action early on, impressing with his pace and power. 7/10

10. Finn Russell: The Racing 92 stand-off held his nerve to kick the decisive penalty. His crossfield kick led to the penalty try. 8/10

9. Ali Price: The Glasgow scrum-half had to go off for a spell in the first half with a head injury. 6/10

matt fagerson
Image: Man of the match Matt Fagerson was monumental for Scotland from No 8 in victory

1. Rory Sutherland: Won a breakdown turnover but was unable to seize control of the scrum. Replaced after 50 minutes. 6/10

2. George Turner: The Glasgow hooker had to do a lot of defending and was replaced after 50 minutes. 6/10

3. Zander Fagerson: The Glasgow prop was solid in defence but part of a Scottish scrum that did not function at its best, with doubts remaining about his set-piece ability. Replaced after 50 minutes. 5/10

4. Jonny Gray: First start for Scotland in 11 months but the Exeter lock was unable to impose himself the way he would have liked. 6/10

5. Grant Gilchrist: The Edinburgh lock was a key performer in the engine room as the hosts stuck in the game. 7/10

6. Jamie Ritchie: The Edinburgh flanker put in a big shift before having to leave the pitch with injury after an hour. His loss would be a big blow. 7/10

7. Hamish Watson: The Edinburgh flanker could be satisfied with his contribution and made life difficult for England. 7/10

8. Matt Fagerson: Scotland's best player on the day after being named man of the match after a brilliant all-round display of huge effort. 8/10

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