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
Saturday 5 February 2022 22:40, UK
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
