England secure Calcutta Cup, but more is needed to win Six Nations
“More clinical”, “tidy ourselves up a bit”, “just a little more accuracy” – England’s players and coaches found a variety of ways to stress the urgent need for improvement as they reflected on the confused performance that just about secured victory over Scotland on Saturday.
“More clinical”, “tidy ourselves up a bit”, “just a little more accuracy” – England’s players and coaches found a variety of ways to stress the urgent need for improvement as they reflected on the confused performance that just about secured victory over Scotland on Saturday.
The 25-13 win, with three tries for the English, was enough to put Stuart Lancaster’s side top of the Six Nations standings – just – and in with a chance of winning the title for the first time since 2011 after three successive second places.
It’s about composure, execution and patience. We should have scored probably six tries
It also secured the Calcutta Cup, extending England’s 32-year unbeaten home run against their oldest rivals.
Yet the reality of world rugby these days is that a Twickenham win over player-starved Scotland is virtually a given and England fans feel, justified or not, that they have bigger fish to fry.
So, having shot from the blocks like a team meaning business after three false starts, the mood was of frustration that England wasted so many try-scoring chances, somehow trailed at half-time and did only just enough to prevail.
“The mood is frustration,” Lancaster said. “We’re delighted by the opportunities we created, but equally when we look back at the tape and the opportunities we missed, it is frustrating.
