ENGLAND
15. Mike Brown: 6
Uncharacteristically spilled an early high ball but would have surely had a try if he hadn’t lost his right boot on the way to the line. Denied again in the second half as he overran Haskell’s pass.
14. Anthony Watson: 6
Frighteningly quick, as seen in his second half line break, but could not find a scoring pass.
13. Jonathan Joseph: 7
Hogg didn’t get close to him as he side-stepped for the first try, starting with real intent, although he was less involved as the match went on.
12. Luther Burrell: 6
Latched onto Young’s pass in the first minute, but his failure to find a team-mate, coupled with a strong tackle from Hogg, meant the chance was lost.
11. Jack Nowell: 8.5
Electric performance. For a small player, he has real power, going straight through Fife in the first half and finishing well in the second. Not a try-scoring poacher, but a hugely effective ball-carrier, making 185 metres.
10. George Ford: 8
On Saturday’s evidence, Ford is the best running and passing fly-half in the competition. He even produced a weighted chip for Joseph and strolled through a gap past Euan Murray to score early in the second half. Wobbly goal-kicking was the only concern.
9. Ben Youngs: 7.5
Young’s arcing runs from ruck and maul are a real threat, and he was entirely dominant opposite Laidlaw. Service to Ford was remarkably quick.
8. Billy Vunipola: 5
One strong carry on 24 minutes, but was not the force he has been, both in terms of attacking work-rate and impact. Did finish as England’s leading tackler, however.
7. Chris Robshaw: 6
Adept ball-handling in the tight allowed him to play a linking role to some effect, pulling the ball behind forward runners to Ford.
6. James Haskell: 5
Ball-carrying was ineffective compared to his exploits against Wales, but he is always willing.
5. Courtney Lawes: 8
Got to Russell on several occasions to disrupt Scotland’s play. The Scotland fly-half was rushed throughout as a result.
4. Dave Attwood: 6
Not as prominent as he has been, and was very much the junior player in his partnership with Lawes.
3. Dan Cole: 5.5
Got away without a yellow card for an astonishingly blatant professional foul in the first half. Might have expected to get more out of the scrum, which began in the ascendency but faded.
2. Dylan Hartley: 5.5
Line-out throwing was disrupted by Gray, and a quiet game in the loose compared to his replacement Youngs.
1. Joe Marler: 5.5
Penalised for not driving straight as England pressed from five metres in the first half and again on 32 minutes. Scotland appeared to make adjustments which blunted his early dominance.
Replacements: 6
Off the bench, Tom Youngs hit a great line but sent a shocking pass to butcher another opportunity for England. Tom Wood showed all his class after appearing as a substitute, and Kieran Brookes was a lively replacement in the front row. Danny Cipriani continues to receive only trivial game time, but there was absolutely no reason to replace Ford.
SCOTLAND
15. Stuart Hogg: 8.5
Hogg pulled off some remarkable try-saving tackles on Burrell, Brown and Nowell, was solid under high ball, and produced spiral kicks nothing short of wondrous. This was one of his best games for Scotland, and while he has always been a gifted attacking player, his all-round game has seen a significant improvement.
14. Dougie Fife: 5.5
Missed two important tackles on the irrepressible Nowell, but made another which saved a certain score. Even if he continues to adjust to the level, this was an earnest effort in both attack and defence.
13. Mark Bennett: 7
Along with Hogg, one of Scotland liveliest attacking options. Dummy and sleight of foot saw him finish an excellent first half try.
12. Matt Scott: 5.5
Made a poor read for Joseph’s try – he hasn’t had much game time at 12 recently – but his contribution in attack in Dunbar’s absence was notable. He ignored Fife on the outside after a decent break in the first half, however, and departed at half time through injury.
11. Tommy Seymour: 6
Ignored a huge overlap from turnover ball in first half, kicking away possession. Cut an attractive line off Russell in the first half and was only denied by a desperate tap tackle from Brown. A fine tackle on Watson prevented another try.
10. Finn Russell: 5.5
A loose, flustered start as passes went astray and kicks went long. Willing in defence as usual and had a few good goes at Burrell, but enthusiasm to reach Ford created the dog-leg which resulted in Watson’s disallowed try.
9. Greig Laidlaw: 5.5
Throughout the tournament, the box kick has been entirely ineffective for Scotland. Laidlaw was not aided by a disgraceful kick-chase which saw England run 259 metres in the first 20 minutes. His slow service to Russell put the latter under pressure. Having said that, he made Bennett’s try, and orchestrated things with some panache. Mixed bag.
8. Dave Denton: 5.5
One left-handed pass over Hogg’s head in the first half was reminiscent of his shocker here in 2013. Then, as on Saturday, it did cost Scotland points. Redemption came in the form of some determined carrying, but he appears more comfortable at six.
7. Blair Cowan: 6
Spilled ball off restart in first half, leading to the eventual concession of three points – he is learning the Scottish way quickly. Read play well to pick off English runners and passes at key times, and produced a brilliant turnover on 53 minutes to save Scotland once more. Always assured.
6. Rob Harley: 5.5
More involved in attacking play than of late, but quiet in defence.
5. Jim Hamilton: 6.5
A vociferous but controlled nuisance, Hamilton did not lapse into the ill-discipline which has blighted his performance on such occasions in the past. His early departure was a shame.
4. Jonny Gray: 7
As always, finished as Scotland’s top tackler, and was also a disruptive presence in the line out.
3. Euan Murray: 6
Seemed to relish getting stuck into the England forwards. Not a bad day but got nowhere near Ford as he coasted through to score.
2. Ross Ford: 6
The line out went well, but Scotland supporters long to see the powerful contributions with ball in hand on a more regular basis.
1. Alasdair Dickinson: 5.5
Achieving parity in the scrum was his main job, and after a ropey start, the front row put in a respectable shift.
Replacements: 5
Adam Ashe was tidy on his return to the side and is the answer at eight for Scotland in the long-term. The replacement front-row fared less well, conceding a penalty six minutes from time which laid the foundation for England’s final and definitive try.
By Charlie King (@CharlescpKing)
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
23 replies on “Six Nations 2015: England vs Scotland Player Ratings”
Think the England replacements should be marked higher. I think all of Youngs, Parling and Wood have played their way into the first team for the players they replaced. Mako and Brookes were improvements too, although Marler and Cole have credit in the bank and should retain their places. My only criticism would probably be bringing on Wigglesworth when Youngs was playing so well. There was no point bringing Cipriani on when Ford was doing so well, and Twelvetrees is a bit of a waste of a bench pick anyway.
Would have Youngs up on 8 alongside Ford, thought he was brilliant!
The pack we knew was top class – and this 6 nations has had that confirmed to me. Surprised Parling hasn’t got a mention off the bench, thought he looked lively – I’d like him to start alongside Lawes next week. Wood may also come in for Haskell.
The back line that was so poor in the Autumn looks good for the most part. I think our half backs look class. Youngs has a brilliant all round game and Ford continues to look the real deal – just still don’t trust his place kicking. Back three also appears very settled – Watson has looked really good all 6 nations, Nowell seemed to make breaks for fun. He did butcher a few chances so I think 8.5 in generous, but I’ve seen him play enough times to know that isn’t a genuine issue with his game – he’s a very intelligent player.
JJ has nailed down the 13 shirt too in my eyes. Really solid all round game, can kick, good distribution and also has great feet that cause an issue every time he is on the ball.
I said 6 months ago that the 12 shirt is the big issue for England and that is still very much the case. Burrell does not look like he is top top quality, we all know 12T’s problems and Eastmond still lacks any consistency when it comes to his distribution. Barritt, just no. I’m still expecting to see Manu come into the 12 shirt when fit, hence keeping Burrell in the mean time (most similar 12 we have). Slade is the other option but I’ve voiced my issues on here before about playing him with Ford and JJ so I won’t go into that again.
I thought the score for Billy V is a bit mean. I’d have thought 6 minimum!
Did anyone else notice in the Beeb’s coverage the dodgy way the Man of the Match was awarded? Brian Moore was doing his normal thing of naming every player and saying why they would be deserving winners and, I thought, was about to name Courtney Lawes MOTM when it flashed up on screen saying Ben Youngs was (the first man Brian singled out). Had to laugh.
Personally, I agree with the ratings here and thought Jack Nowell was outstanding. Shame he didn’t keep his footing when he made one of his awesome breaks, but he is really showing his class now and seems totally unfazed by the international stage now.
Sorry, but Youngs wouldn’t of had to even attempt such a dire pass, 15 yards behind him, had he had support either side of him to give a soft off load on what would’ve been a certain try. Are our forwards quicker than our backs now?
Same story all afternoon, no support runners.
Whilst I agree generally about the lack of support runners, having re-watched that instance, the ball comes out of a ruck and comes to Youngs with Vunipola on his inside and Marler on his outside – presumably the three of them fiorming the next ‘pod’ to carry the ball. The backs who weren’t involved in the last ruck were outside Marler.
As Youngs takes the ball up, you can see the backs re-align further back as they are expecting Youngs to take the tackle and set up the ruck, Marler and BV to hit the ruck and the ball to then come back to them
Youngs’ break is such a surprise (not least to him) that the only player in support is Marler. Really Youngs should have run stright at the Scottish defence, tried to run over whoever it was and if not, taken the hit and set up the next ruck / looked for the off-load. As it was, he panicked and threw a pass to nothing.
You know the really disappointing part to Youngs’ error was that he played for England at U18 – as a centre. If you could expect any Front rwo player to pick the right pass, it would be him, surely.
Jamie have you purposely give Burrell a 5 to either get a debate going on his overall lack of performance; 2.5 for just being on the pitch, or your are have a laugh. It has to be one or the other!
There ratings are nothing to do with me, Dia, I just published them!
Brown didn’t overrun Haskell’s pass. He was on the same line and ran onto the ball.
Watson should have come in slightly to make the pass easier for Burrell.
Support runners will be key against the French. They’ll want to disrupt the English party for a second year in a row.
Ford was good but his wobbly kicking should prevent him scoring an 8.
Cipriani replaced Brown at the end, not Ford, but not significant as it was only a few minutes.
I think a 5 is really harsh on Billy Vunipola.. not a force in terms of attacking work-rate?
16 carries, 20 involvements on the ball total, most metres by a forward, 3 defenders beaten, got 3 offloads away, I assume he hit some rucks too… Plus top tackler. Mega harsh!
Only the halfbacks and Mike Brown got on the ball more than him! How hard do you expect him to work.
On the whole, to see the England backs generally higher in ratings than the forwards is a bit of a surprise as they lacked the required precision just as much as the forwards. I agree neither performed to previous standards though.
Scotland’s ratings seemed fair. I thought their backs did well to move the ball wide in the first half and it really exposed a narrow English defense. Tight 5 need to be more effective. Jonny Gray excluded and a bit of niggle from Euan Murray, for me the others just didn’t have an impact on the game.
I think that most of these are fair, but 5 for BV is really harsh. He carried so much ball, and was the top tackler. He may not have carried the ball that far each time, but he was a willing carrier, and three or four defenders on him every time. He’s not bloody Superman you know!!
Agree with those saying that 5 for BV is really harsh. His stats are really strong. That was the hardest working 80 minute performance we’ve seen him put in for England. No single moment where he broke the game open, but a pretty strong overall performance.
I think Joseph has proved himself worthy of the 13 shirt, but I’m still not sure who the best person to play inside him at 12 is. Burrell has shown little of the form we’ve seen him produce for Saints, and 12T blows hot and cold so much he should be in the French team. We all know what Barritt can do, but it doesn’t really suit what England are trying with Joseph at 13. Eastmond also runs hot and cold. Personally I think Slade or Farrell at 12, could be the answer. Unless Tuilagi can get fit, stay fit, and play at 12 with Joseph outside him? For now I think Slade should at least be given a shot. He also provides a second kicking option if Ford leaves his kicking boots at home again.
8.5 for nowell, wut?! Great carry the ball loads, break the line all you want but if you’re going to turn the ball over every time you might as well just bring Alex goode back and have him kick it away.
I agree he has potential and he showed a lot of that potential but as an actual performance? Can you imagine how raging the all blacks would be if one of their wings dropped the ball that much?! On youtube there is a video “worst performance by an all black” and he drops the ball fewer times.
I want nowell to stay but that was not a good performance.
Agree Fraze. Nowell did what every winger should do and that is go through gaps at pace. But a winger at any level needs to bring more. His terrible mess of 3 on 1 is unforgivable. These opportunities are few and far between at this level. But what is worse is that he will not get the skills to do better. He has a bad habit of sticking ball under arm. You can’t pass like this and defender can never be fooled as to your intentions. Nowell then proceeded to fall over his own feet because his brain could not compute all the data fast enough. 3 on 1 should be instinctual. I coach kids with only 1 and 2 yrs experience 2 on 1 and 3 on 2 alot. 3 on 1 is just plain stupid because its impossible not to score……right? These opportunities should never be missed. Very rarely is it OK to stick ball under arm. I’d like to see Christian Wade given a chance. He brings an X factor that you can’t coach. Burrell was just plain greedy. Tom Youngs panicked after making so much ground. All those forward passes were so amateurish. Without watching replays its hard to say what the problem really is. Watch Super XV and see the amazing amount of talent the next generation of backs possess. We have no chance.
I have noticed talkers stopping BV by just grabbing one leg and getting it off the ground, rather than a conventional tackle which are less effective, has he been sussed out?
Ford looks more like the real deal every game, but his goal kicking percentages need to be higher.
Scots scores seem fair overall, Hogg was the standout player, and even got away with the worst case of not rolling away seen in recent internationals after the Burrell tackle!
A bit surprised by some of these ratings. Brown should have been a 6.5 or 7. Played well and was back to making breaks and running on to passes. Not his fault Haskell passed forward – he was making his run from deep like we have been asking our players to do for forever!
Burrell a 6. Did I watch the same game? In the first couple of minutes he butchered a try, and gave away a penalty. It didn’t get better from there.
Nowell did make some mistakes so an 8 is probably enough. Good game though.
Billy V made yards every time he had the ball, took at least one high ball perfectly and finished as top tackler. Blimey what else do you want a No8 to do? 7 for me.
I know it’s hard to rate a bench, but I thought they made a real impact which is once again what we have been asking for for ages. 7 on that criteria.
Can see a long of complains about Burrell agree with them. Burrell should’ve passed to Watson but did not trust himself, & instead took the safer option which was to take the tackle and offload to B.Youngs, who got caught. Tom Youngs i felt should have taken the tackle as the forwards weren’t far away from him.
Nowell i know did make mistakes but feels he is solid, unlike May, who likes dancing.
Concerning Cipirani i feel like he should be given a shot at the 12 shirt, it may or may not work well but a person with a better rugby brain is needed at 12.
First 10 minutes Burrell murdered a try, ran a stupid (and unneeded!) blocking line, and gave away an idiotic penalty…after that I thought he had a better game for England than he’s had in a while. He’s clearly not Greenwood or Manu, but at times he looks like he can compete at this level IMO.
The rating for BV is a joke as many others have said..top tackler, yards on every carry and one great take from
A high ball. He’s not Morgan (on a good day) but he’s stepped up his game massively.
Let’s also not be too critical here…yes, we could/should have been 21-0 up after 16 mins…but equally I haven’t seen us be so creative in years. I’d rather we had the odd marginal
Forward pass try disallowed than go back to 10 man rugby. Let’s try and be a bit positive here!? Also…great to see Goode not making the squad so some progress selection wise too!
Nowell changed my mind a bit too, couple of errors but he looked genuinely dangerous in tough situations. Still not a Savea, but if we can somehow genetically merge him and May we’ve got a world beater.
Also great (for england and anyone who enjoys actual rugby) that Ireland’s limited game was finally exposed against a phenomenal performance from a Welsh back three who showed why Alex Goode should never darken the door of test rugby again.
Reading some of the comments about Nowell and Burrell, and messing up 3 0n 1’s etc, and it becomes obvious what the team is lacking, and that is players who have an instinct to track the ball. I like Watson, but he doesn’t have that instinct, but both Wade and Ashton do. I would like to see either Wade or Ashton brought into the team. Either move Watson to 15 (Brown is not at his best at the moment), or give him the 23 shirt to cover wing and fb.
I believe that both Wade and Ashton would have got themselves in position to take the pass from Burrell and probably Tom Youngs, and two more tries would likely have been scored. It’s an instinct which I don’t think can be coached, but if we have players who do it instinctively, and we have players like Ford, Burrell, Jospeh and Nowell in our back line, we need those players to finish off those chances.
We’ll learn a lot about Lancaster with his selection this weekend. If he does not have one of Wade or May in the 23 shirt AND has not replaced Wigglesworth with either Care or Simpson, then sorry chaps but its game over. Can he look past his “systems” and select a team/ bench suited to the task of not just winning, but winning well. For me I’d have Wade on the bench and brining him on (hopefully) when the game is won and we need to increase the points differential, or (heaven forbid) we are chasing the game. Someone like Care or Simpson is a must if we need to increase the tempo. Drop Cirpriani (harsh I know) and have Slade to cover 10/ 12. Am inclined to start with 12t, only becuase he is the only option, and Burrell has been poor.
I think if any of the two it’ll be May that takes the 23 shirt – Wade hasn’t been with the England squad all 6 nations. Whilst I like Wade, I do understand SL’s reservations. He makes awful basic errors that would just be exposed internationally.
I’m slightly two minds about this weekends squad. How much do I care about a title? I’ve mentioned it on here before – I don’t care that much. I know most fans do, but I think SL probably feels the same way I do. Ireland winning the championship having won the same amount points to us last year would not have made SL believe Ireland are much better than us, and I felt the same.
This year, if for example, Scotland roll over and get pumped by 30 points but France come out, play well, but we get a narrow win. I would be happy with that – we only control our own matches.
So SL has a choice:
a) pick a team like one he would pick in the WC, pick a squad in a make up that he wants for the WC and play in that way (fairly expansively based on this 6 nations)
b) pick players he doesn’t trust in the heat of a WC knock out match (Wade, possible Care/Simpson in that category) – in the hope of staving off criticism for fans desperate for a title.
I’d go with choice A all day long and I think he will too.
You only have to look at Johnson to know preparing for a WC is more important in WC year that winning a 6 nations title.