England end Calcutta Cup losing streak with narrow win over Scotland

England finally reclaimed the Calcutta Cup with a tense 16-15 win over Scotland at Allianz Stadium, ending a four-match losing streak in the historic fixture.

In a match filled with intensity, drama, and fine margins, Steve Borthwick’s side overcame an early Scottish onslaught to grind out a much-needed Six Nations victory.

Scotland made a blistering start, launching a counter-attack straight from inside their own 22. Duhan van der Merwe created space before offloading to Blair Kinghorn, who set Tom Jordan free down the left wing.

The centre then found scrum-half Ben White in support, who raced in for his third Calcutta Cup try in four matches.

England, however, responded swiftly. Their forwards piled on the pressure deep in Scotland’s half, wearing down the defense before Tommy Freeman powered over for a try. Fullback Marcus Smith converted, giving England a 7-5 lead within the opening ten minutes.

Scotland continued to challenge England’s defense with their fast-paced offloading game, a tactic that had seen them lead the tournament in successful offloads in the opening two rounds.

The visitors soon found another breakthrough, with Huw Jones finishing off a move initiated by Van der Merwe, matching the record for most tries by a Scottish player in the Championship with 16.

However, Scotland’s fly-half Finn Russell struggled with his kicking, missing the conversion and keeping the score at 10-7 at halftime.

England nearly struck before the break when Ollie Lawrence powered through the midfield, but his final pass to Freeman sailed into touch, ending the half with Scotland still in front.

England introduced fresh legs early in the second half, including former captain Jamie George, in a bid to wrestle back control. Marcus Smith leveled the score at 10-10 after Scotland conceded their ninth penalty, before England’s kicking game came into play.

Fly-half Fin Smith delivered a crucial touch-finder, giving England an attacking platform near Scotland’s try line. The pressure forced Scotland into repeated infringements, and captain Maro Itoje opted for the posts. Marcus Smith slotted the penalty, putting England ahead 13-10.

With ten minutes remaining, Fin Smith stepped up from 54 meters out and landed a crucial long-range penalty, stretching England’s lead to 16-10. The young fly-half, with both Scottish parents in the crowd, showcased his composure in a defining moment.

Scotland, however, refused to give up. In the dying moments, Van der Merwe finished a spectacular length-of-the-field try, cutting England’s lead to just one point.

The match rested on Russell’s conversion attempt, but having missed two earlier kicks, the Bath fly-half faltered once more, leaving Scotland one point short.

With the clock in the red, Scotland still had a chance, but England’s defense held firm, forcing a maul turnover to close out the game. As the final whistle blew, Itoje became the first England captain to lift the Calcutta Cup at Twickenham since 2017, marking a significant milestone in England’s resurgence.

A hard-fought victory, built on resilience and discipline, sees England regain momentum in their Six Nations campaign while denying Scotland a record-breaking fifth consecutive Calcutta Cup triumph.