Scotland Women captain Rachel Malcolm gives her final thoughts on a historic win at Scottish Gas Murrayfield:
“Scotland kept their calm throughout whilst England threw everything they had at them. The game was loose but Scotland stayed in control, with Finn doing a brilliant job of pulling the strings and kicking us out of trouble. Fantastic finishes from Duhan again!”
Thanks for being with us on the match centre today!
We’re back in a fortnight as we take on Italy. But who’s thinking about that right now?!
1896.
It was the year of the first modern Olympics in Athens, the year Nicholas II was crowned Tsar of Russia, and the year Utah became the USA’s 45th state.
It was also, until mere seconds ago, the last time Scotland had won four consecutive Calcutta Cups.
A 30-21 win here at Scottish Gas Murrayfield!
Finn Russell and Rory Darge lift the Calcutta Cup. But there’s better to come.
Doctor James Robson, on his last home game with the national team, is hoisted into the sky by the players to lift the trophy!
Lawrence’s pass to Earl flies into touch.
Our lineout about 5 metres outside our 22.
Scotland maul about 30 metres, but lose the ball.
Then Duhan is penalised for a dangerous tackle and is yellow carded.
He’s announced as the player of the match at the same time!
Lawrence breaks through the middle, but again Ashman creates a maul. The ball’s going nowhere, and we’ll have a scrum in our 22 with seven seconds to go.
History beckons.
The clocks ticking down and Rachel Malcolm knows it will be a crucial last quarter:
“Scotland’s defence is going to be vital going into the last 20 minutes of the game. England have just brought on some big ball carriers who will need to be kept quiet. Scotland are in control points wise, but the game is still very loose so they need to try and be the team to have control when they have the ball. Scotland need to continue to pin England in, the error count means points will come.”
George Horne offside from a Russell kick.
England kick halfway between our 10 and 22m lines.
Redpath is forced off, and Ben Healy comes on.
We kick clear then Kinghorn grabs it off of Furbank. We go out to the left but Marler nearly steals it, knocking it on.
Our scrum, just outside our 10m line on the left.
Redpath is okay to continue, and Healy goes back off.
England fire into the middle, but Ashman and Dempsey wrap up the ballcarrier and smother the ball.
We get the scrum just outside our 22 in the middle.
England pre-engage at the scrum, and we get the free kick. It will be launched into the sky by Russell’s boot.
Sam Skinner on for Grant Gilchrist.
Christie thinks he’s away up the right, but Ashman accidentally blocked him.
England kick the penalty to just outside our 22.
England come forward but Millar-Mills is in at the ruck for the jackal penalty!
Finn will kick from around 40m out.
England exit to 30 metres out, and we’ll go from there.
30-16.
Scotland can’t collect the kick off, and two phases later Feyi-Waboso is over on the left. Smith hits the post.
30-21.
Kicking from both teams, and Fin Smith’s boot is a good one. We have the lineout on our own 10.
George Horne is on for Ben White.
England build the phases, but Scott Cummings rips the ball and Finn kicks up field.
Daly’s reply is a bit of a slice. We’ll have the lineout on England’s 10.
Dempsey makes a half-break through the middle, and then Earl is offside.
Finn going for goal from right in front on the 22.
27-16.
Alec Hepburn and Elliot Millar-Mills come on for Schoeman and Fagerson.
England aren’t going anywhere and Care tries a grubber through. It deflects and Care gets it, but Christie gets to the ruck first and wins the ruck penalty.
We get the lineout just over 25 metres from England’s line.
Fagerson penalised in the scrum. England are now just inside our half with the lineout.
It’s Ewan Ashman and Andy Christie on for George Turner and Jamie Ritchie.
Darge knocks on in the 22. England will get the scrum.
Russell goes quickly from kick off and fires it into the 22, and it’s dropped forward by England.
We get the scrum around 15 metres from the line.
24-16.
Underhill charges through the middle, and England get the penalty just inside the 22 on the left. Ford is going to go at goal.
But hang on, we’re checking a foul play from Ellis Genge…
Genge actually hits his own player with a shoulder, so it’s fine.
Ford goes for goal from just inside the 22 on the left.
We clear up to just inside England’s half, on our left, where England will throw from.
We get so close to the line, but Schoeman carries and Underhill wins the jackal penalty.
England clear from their 5m up to their 10.
A couple of minutes ago, Cam Redpath replaced Sione Tuipulotu.
We steal the lineout, but Finn’s kick is charged down.
Redpath does unbelievably well to evade the tackles and turn, and he races up the middle.
He’s tackled, but the next phase sees Finn kick out to Duhan on the left, who gathers for his third try today. His 26th for Scotland, one off Stuart Hogg’s record.
Finn converts. 24-13.
Some early pressure from us, and it leads to a lineout around 10 metres from England’s line on the right.
COME ON SCOTLAND!!
Duhan is now second in our all-time try scorer list with 25, after two first-half efforts.
COME ON SCOTLAND!!
The players are back out. 40 minutes to go in the 2024 Calcutta Cup.
After a eventful first half, Scotland Women captain Rachel Malcolm shares her thoughts on what Scotland will need to do to stay on the right side of the result:
“I think it’s been a pretty evenly matched first half and the score is a relatively fair reflection of it. Scotland have had a good conversion rate when they get into England’s 22, but just need a bit more ball to create more opportunities. England’s blitz defence has enforced a lot of errors on Scotland’s part, as well as Scotland giving away a number of penalties. Scotland need to get on the right side of the penalty count to allow them to play in there right area of the pitch and continue to build a score.”
A knock-on ends the half as England were coming forward.
A slow start, but an excellent 10-minute spell means we’re 17-13 up at the break.
Finn nails it. 17-10.
A few kicks either way, and Finn calls the mark inside our 22.
Then we kick it out, so England have the lineout on our 10.
Scotland drop the kick off, then a few phases later Ford takes the drop goal for three.
17-13.
England exit to their 10m from kick off.
England’s Roots is offside just over 15m from the line.
Finn will take a shot. It’s just outside the right post. (more…)
Dempsey grabs the lineout and White hoofs it.
England lineout around 35m out from our line.
Duhan on the break!
Furbank spills it in midfield, and Huw Jones grabs it. He offloads to van der Merwe, who charges 65m down the left wing to score in the corner.
Finn converts from the touchline again. 14-10.
Suddenly, there’s only one team playing and they’re in blue.
Jones finds a gap on the left, and chips forward. Duhan wins the race, and kicks it off Furbank.
Our lineout, 25 out from their line.
We don’t hang about for long before White box kicks clear.
England lineout just inside our 10m line.
After the first 20 minutes, Rachel Malcolm shares her thoughts on how important Duhan’s try was for Scotland: “It’s been a bit of a cagey first 20, with lots of mistakes and penalties. Scotland needed to calm things down a little and hopefully that try will allow them to make the most of the momentum shift.”
Daly hacks through on the left, and it goes out on our 5m line. We’ll throw in from there.
Tuipulotu carries into Ford, but he’s penalised for holding on.
England now have the lineout just inside our 22.
England get a maul rolling, but it breaks apart and Duhan bundles his man into touch.
Scotland lineout deep in our 22.
England fumble it a couple of times in midfield. Scotland scrum, just inside England’s half on our left.
The crowd, like Scotland just did, come to life.
They cheer as Scotland get the penalty for hands in the ruck after the restart.
We kick down to just inside England’s 10. Our lineout there on our left.
Zander Fagerson back on, Millar Mills off.
We’re on the board!
The classic short ball from Tuipulotu to Jones that we see so often. He tears for the right corner, but is foiled.
He offloads to Duhan van der Merwe, who dummies and races over the line.
Touchline conversion from Finn. 7-10.
It’s good.
Furbank slices the clearance from kick off. Scotland lineout 30 metres from England’s line.
Then England steal it, but kick out on the full. We’ll throw in again, this time just inside England’s 10m line.
Duhan pinged after the lineout for holding on after he was tackled.
England lineout around 30m from our line.
Scotland free kick from the scrum as England drive early.
We kick from the free, and England return it. Itoje gathers, and then Scotland are penalised for not supporting their bodyweight in the ruck.
Ford’s going for goal. Around 25 metres out, left of the posts.
England secure the lineout, but then Earl drops it under pressure.
Our scrum, about five metres inside our 10m line.
A loose pass from White and England gather it, but then Ollie Lawrence spils.
We’ll have a scrum on almost the exact spot the last one was on, around 35m from our line.
Millar-Mills is pinged at the scrum. England kick into our half on their left flank.
England exit straight away from kick off, and after a good lineout from Scotland, Steyn knocks on in the second phase.
England scrum on their 10m line.
Zander Fagerson comes off for an HIA. Elliot Millar-Mills wins his second cap.
A reset at the scrum, then George Turner is penalised and England get the free kick.
They opt to scrum on the same spot as the first one.
Blair Kinghorn grabs the kick off, makes a half break and offloads to Sione Tuipulotu.
Then in the next phase, Blair gets space on the right, but his pass goes into touch.
England lineout on our 10.
England secure the scrum, come right and Daly breaks through. He offloads to Furbank for his first England try. Ford converts
0-7.
Scotland cough up possession after the lineout and England make small gains, but a forward pass gives us the ball back.
We’ll feed the first scrum, and it’s just inside our 22 on our right side.
England work right to left, then back to the right, but they’re bundled into touch by Duhan.
We get the lineout just outside our 22.
Flower of Scotland at its finest once more.
George Ford will get us underway, with Scotland attacking towards the North stand.
Scottish Gas Murrayfield goes berserk as Scotland and England head out onto the pitch.
Anthem time.
COME ON SCOTLAND!!!
It’s our doctor’s final home game today after if it was announced in December that he would be retiring at the end of the season – ending his 30-year spell working in the sport.
Both sides have just headed back into the changing rooms. This one is less than 15 minutes from starting!
Having witnessed the birth of his daughter Arabella Rose two weeks ago, Kyle Steyn makes a return to the Scotland team today.
One of three changes today sees Blair Kinghorn return to the team at full back, having missed the first two matches through injury.
Could he make a big difference today?
Scotland Women’s Rachel Malcolm will be providing her thoughts for the match centre for today’s match.
Firstly, here’s her view of what it’s like to captain on such a magnanimous occasion:
“The nerves will be there but with a game of this magnitude and history, as well as being at home with a sold out Scottish Gas Murrayfield you know the energy will be there, so it’s about just keeping the group calm and focused on what’s going to give them the best performance.”
The players are here and are out warming up with 30 mins to go until kick-off.
There is an extra-special match day programme available at today’s game to mark the 1984 Grand Slam.
Not at the game? Buy online here.
The Scotland changing room is all set up ahead of the squad’s arrival.
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – FEBRUARY 24: The changing room during a Guinness Six Nations match between Scotland and England at Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, on February 24, 2024, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
Here is the kick-off time wherever you are in the world. Remember you can follow along here.
We have a really special matchday performance today, with Scottish singer-songwriter Tom Walker entertaining the crowd both before the game kicks off and again at half-time. If you’re coming along, make sure you’re in your seats by 4.10pm to see Tom’s pre-match performance.
A reminder of your Scotland team to play England in today’s Calcutta Cup clash at Scottish Gas Murrayfield.
Here is everything you need to know if you’re coming to Scottish Gas Murrayfield later.
Gregor Townsend will take charge of his 77th Scotland game today – the most games as Scotland Head Coach, overtaking Sir Ian McGeechan!
Ahead of today’s massive game in Edinburgh, why not have a listen to the latest episode of our podcast, which this week features Scotland co-captain Rory Darge and hooker Ewan Ashman.
Good morning Scotland fans!
A huge day lies ahead. It’s Calcutta Cup Saturday.
We’re back at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, along with 67,000 fans, as we get behind Gregor Townsend’s Scotland team, when they take on England at 4.45pm.
Kick-off 4:45 pm
