Ford comes to England's rescue
By Mark Stevens
16/3/19
Replacement George Ford came to England’s rescue, scoring a try deep into added on time to ensure honours were even in his side’s Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland at Twickenham.
The visitors fought back from 31-0 down to lead 38-31 before Leicester Tigers fly-half Ford stole over with the clock in the red to ensure England finished this season’s Guinness Six Nations Championship in second place.
In what was a dominant first half display from Eddie Jones’ side, Exeter Chiefs star Jack Nowell set them on their way, scoring the first of four first half tries with just over a minute played at HQ.
A clever short line-out was then driven over for Tom Curry's score and Ellis Genge, on for injured Chiefs forward Ben Moon in the fourth minute, sprung fellow prop Kyle Sinckler through a gap in the build-up to Joe Launchbury diving in.
When Exeter’s Henry Slade flicked a pass out the back of his hand for Jonny May to stroll in for a fourth score, it felt like there was an element of showboating in England's performance.
Jones had said before the match that it was a chance to "show that we're the best team in the Six Nations" and with nine tries more than anyone else in the championship at that point, it seemed his side were making the statement he wanted as they took a 31-0 lead.
What followed, however, will have alarmed the Australian coach as Scotland - who included Exeter Chiefs forward Sam Skinner in their starting line-up - staged a remarkable fightback.
Stuart McInally set the ball rolling when he broke clear, before Darcy Graham (twice), Magnus Bradbury and Finn Russell crossed in a powerful second-half blitz that made it 31-31.
Centre Sam Johnson looked to have won it for Gregor Townsend’s side late on, only for England's Ford to make it 38-38 at the death.
Post-match, Jones believed his side lack a ‘ruthless’ edge to their play ness and has vowed to solve the ‘mental problem’ that allowed Scotland to hit back.
Jones believes England are suffering with a mental issue that is allowing teams back in to games, citing previous fixtures over the past year, and is determined to resolve the issue before the Rugby World Cup.
"It's a re-occurring theme for us and we've probably experienced this three times over the past 12 months where we've let our foot off the gas and haven't been able to get control back," said Jones.
“Our first half was exceptional and we came in at half-time determined to tighten things up but we failed do to that. I thought our finishers did exceptionally well to get us out of jail, but I'm disappointed with the 80 minutes."
Jones added: “We lack the discipline to do the simple things over and over. We got seduced by the scoreboard. This is possibly a problem the team has had for a long time, even before I started so we need to make sure we get the right people in to help us. It’s 100 per cent mental, it’s the way you think and we’ll get that right.
“It’s not something you can fix easily, it’s going to take some digging deep into the team’s psyche. We think we’ve got a pretty good idea of what it is, but it’s going to take some time.”
England’s head coach also feels his side lack a clinical edge when they establish a big lead in matches, something he also wants to resolve.
“We lack ruthlessness in the way we play,” he said. “When the game gets easy we get seduced by the scoreboard and the easiness of the game.
“We played some brilliant rugby but again we should have been further ahead at half time and the game should have been put to bed. But we gave them some easy points, and we couldn’t get control of the game back.
“It’s a great lesson for us, I’d rather have these problems now then at the World Cup. We know what the problem is but it’s not easy to fix.”
Scotland head coach Townsend said: “We showed a lot of character today. To respond the way we did in the second half, I was more than proud.
“We set a goal of winning the second half – not winning the game. We thought it was gone when you’re 31-7 down. But it’s amazing what can happen in a game of rugby. Momentum can swing and we can get confidence and take the game to the opposition like we did in the second half.
“Ultimately, we’re the team that’s really disappointed to have drawn the game.”
