Scotland 20-17 EnglandFinn Russell penalty settles tense Six Nations opener
The Six Nations is rarely short of dramatic finishes and, from Scotland’s perspective, this one will rank right up there. For the first time in 38 years the Scots have registered back-to-back championship wins over the auld enemy and the nerve-tingling climax made it all the sweeter for the home fans on a damp, cold Edinburgh evening.
As a contest it was a slow burner but the tense final twist will haunt England for a while. Finn Russell’s second penalty with eight minutes left technically applied the killer blow but ultimately it was the desperate flapping hands of Luke Cowan-Dickie which did for the visitors. Referee Ben O’Keeffe correctly ruled the England hooker, in trying to stop a Russell cross-kick from reaching the lurking Darcy Graham in the right corner, had deliberately knocked the ball out of play and the resulting penalty try and yellow card tipped the balance of the entire game.
