England vs. Scotland result highlights & analysis from 2023 Six Nations match as Van der Merwe settles thriller

Jonathan Burnett

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England vs. Scotland result highlights & analysis from 2023 Six Nations match as Van der Merwe settles thriller image

Scotland won one of the best Six Nations matches in recent history to defeat England 29-23 at Twickenham, with Duhan van der Merwe's late score completing a second-half turnaround which sees the Scots open their 2023 Six Nations account in scarcely believable fashion.

The first half was, to put it lightly, absolutely spectacular. A slow start gave way to four magnificent tries, the first of which was scored by Huw Jones after his centre partner, Sione Tuipulotu, sent an audacious grubber kick bouncing into the England in-goal.

England were soon level, though, building pressure on the Scotland line before Marcus Smith's rangy cross-field kick found Max Malins on the fly to score in the corner.

The game had well and truly opened up, allowing Van der Merwe some open space to gallop into. Despite having more than half the pitch to run, five England defenders couldn't stop the South Africa-born wing as he rampaged through the middle to score a try for the ages. Finn Russell's missed conversion let England back into it, and after another try in the corner for Malins and an Owen Farrell penalty, the hosts took a slim 13-12 lead into the half-time break.

The second half began with England on the front foot, building further pressure through their forwards. As it had done for Malins' two scores, that pressure eventually told, as prop Ellis Genge barged his way over to give England some breathing space with a seven-point lead. That would be as good as things got for England, though.

Scotland hit straight back thanks to some quick thinking from their scrum-half Ben White, who seized upon a loose ball to dash over the line and clawed back the deficit to a single point. Farrell's second penalty brought England's lead to 23-19, and Russell soon responded with three points of his own to create a one-point ball game going into the final 10.

Scotland came into their own during that period, with Russell's wide passing sending Kyle Steyn searing down the right hand side. Reined in by superb scramble defence from England, Steyn's run allowed Scotland to work the ball back left, where Van der Merwe was waiting to take Matt Fagerson's pass, crash his way through three tackles and slam the ball down in the corner with five minutes left on the clock. Russell's conversion was followed by some dogged Scottish defending, and they held on for a famous victory at Twickenham – only their second since 1983.

Borthwick's side brave but deservedly beaten

England showed great resolve - particularly in the first half - to respond almost immediately whenever Scotland scored points.

Within minutes of Jones' and Van der Merwe's first tries, England's pack had re-focused and pressured Scotland into errors, allowing Malins to cross twice.

That forceful nature carried over into the second period for Genge's try. However, after Scotland scored straight afterwards, England hardly had another opportunity to cross for a five-pointer, showing that new coach Steve Borthwick still has plenty to do when it comes to physically and mentally conditioning his players for a full 80-minute performance.

For game one under the new leadership, England impressed – but their inability to find a way back to the tryline in the second half proved their downfall.

Slick Scotland send message for months ahead

Gregor Townsend's decision to pick a very dynamic, attack-minded backline could have come back to haunt him, but each and every one of Scotland's back seven justified their selection.

Tuipulotu and Jones' combination carried over fruitfully from club side Glasgow, while the South African connections on either wing both played pivotal roles in Scotland's victory, not least in the winning try.

With England beaten first up, Scotland now need to re-focus and ensure that the smart, crisp passing and stoic, energetic defending carries over into their remaining four games – and of, course the World Cup at year's end.

Jamie Ritchie's late winning of a penalty secures the Calcutta Cup for Scotland (UK):

The Sporting News followed the match live, providing live updates and commentary below.

England vs. Scotland full-time score

  1H 2H FT
England 13 10 23
Scotland 12 17 29

Tries: Malins (2), Genge; Jones, Van der Merwe (2), White

Conversions: Farrell; Russell (3)

Penalties: Farrell (2); Russell

England vs. Scotland full commentary, highlights

FT: That's it for our coverage of the first day of the Six Nations, and what a game to open the tournament for the Scots! England played their part too with three very well-worked tries, but some of Scotland's play suggests they'll be a must-watch for the entire tournament. They certainly will be for us, and we'll see you for their next game. Goodbye!

Watch Duhan van der Merwe score Scotland's winner. Trust us, watch it, on repeat (UK): 

FT: The final whistle goes, and Scotland win it right at the last! Van der Merwe's late score completes a thrilling second-half comeback for Gregor Townsend's side, who responded brilliantly to Ellis Genge's early England try. 20-13 down, Ben White's opportunistic score moments late gave Scotland further belief, and the passing move from right, to left, and back again to Van der Merwe was something to behold. Three Calcutta Cup wins in a row, and four fantastic tries to secure it; Scottish rugby is riding the crest of a wave.

80 mins: Ritchie gets over the top of Earl in a ruck to win the penalty, and that will do it for Scotland! The kick the ball straight out as the clock hits the red, and beat England for the third year straight!

79 mins: England's attack becomes desperate as they try to rescue the game, but their line-out maul from a penalty is driven back nearly 10 metres, by Scotland defence as heroic as it is powerful!

75 mins: TRY - England 23-29 Scotland!!!!! Scotland score late on!!! Their wide, crisp passing breaks England open, and Steyn surges down the right before being halted. Back it comes to the left, and after passing through several pairs of hands, Van der Merwe is there again to smash his way over in the corner!! Russell adds the two, and Scotland have a six-point lead going into the final minutes!

71 mins: Smith's grubber is really threatening, particularly with Marchant steaming onto it, but Kinghorn gets back for Scotland to find Russell, who hoofs it long and away!

68 mins: PENALTY - England 23-22 Scotland. Scotland gain penalty advantage, which Russell uses to find Steyn with a cross-field kick. The winger can't reel in the ball though, and so play comes back for Russell to successfully kick the three points.

65 mins: PENALTY - England 23-19 Scotland. Hogg wraps up Youngs at the back of a ruck, but comes from an offside position to do so. He's penalised, and a bandaged-up Farrell notches three more points to extend England's lead to four.

63 mins: Ben Youngs is on for Van Poortvliet, and drills a superb low box-kick into the 22. Hogg is stranded with no support and has to clear it, but barely makes 20 metres on his kick and back come England!

Watch: Ben White produces something from nothing to score Scotland's third of the game (UK):

60 mins: Scotland look to the wings as Russell throws a wide cut-out pass to Steyn. He beats Hassell-Collins to break into the back-field, and Scotland have a five-on-three overlap. Steyn looks to play a one-two of passes with Hogg, but drops the return ball cold, missing a massive opportunity to put Scotland back into the lead!

57 mins: England apply significant pressure on Russell, who is forced into a rushed kick towards Steyn on the right edge. He shanks it into touch and England are straight onto the attack through Chessum, who almost pokes his way through the defensive line. After he's held up short, Smith darts to the left, and almost gets over before Tuipulotu smashes him into touch!

Watch: Genge powers over for the first points of the second half (UK): 

52 mins: TRY - England 20-19 Scotland!! An immediate Scottish response!! A messy ruck inside England;'s 22 sees the ball spill out, and White snatches onto it to burst through the line, step Steward, and score against England for the second year running! Russell's conversion is successful, and what a game this is turning out to be!

48 mins: TRY - England 20-13 Scotland!!! England strike first in the second half! Following a penalty line-out, the Scotland line is battered by several England forwards, and finally breaks following a quick pick-and-go from Curry. Genge is next up, and smashes through a tackle to ground the ball! Farrell converts, and England have a seven-point lead!

45 mins: A lobbed pass wide from Russell gives Ritchie a three-on-two overlap to his outside, but the awkward pick-up sees the Scotland captain drop the ball, gifting England head-and-feed.

43 mins: Hassell-Collins pops up in midfield to take a flat ball from Farrell, and almost pokes his nose through the line before being chopped down by Tuipulotu!

41 mins: We return for the second half, which Scotland fly-half Russell kicks off at Twickenham!

HT: These two sides have gotten used to serving up brilliant games over the past few years, and 2023 appears to be no different. However, the dry track at Twickenham, coupled with the dynamic runners littered in both sides, has really seen this game open up. More of the same in the second half? Here's hoping!

Duhan van der Merwe scores an outrageous try to set Twickenham alight (UK): 

HT: What a half of rugby! 13-12 to England at the break, following 40 fast and furious minutes featuring four excellent tries. Jones' opener for Scotland saw the centre finish off a move he started with a clever break, before Malins' perfect timing off Smith's bomb helped England reply immediately. Van der Merwe then took the quality of the scoring up by several notches, beating seemingly everyone inside Twickenham before palming off Dombrandt for good measure and scoring a peach. England wouldn't lie down though, and Malins was soon over again, before Farrell's penalty after the hooter edged the hosts into a slender lead.

40 mins: PENALTY - England 13-12 Scotland! The 40 minutes are up but England still have ball in hand, and win two penalties in succession to make their way forward. The second is right in front of the posts, and Farrell notches his first successful kick of the game to edge the hosts in front, right on half-time!

38 mins: TRY - England 10-12 Scotland! Malins is in again for England, again capitalising on strong work from his forwards. They build on several phases in the Scotland 22 before Ludlam breaks down the right, and he has a simple pass for Malins to score in the corner! Farrell's conversion is pulled wide of the other post this time, meaning England remain behind.

34 mins: For all the deserved plaudits of Scotland's attack, their defence has also been very impressive so far, as they force another loose ball from England to win a scrum.

30 mins: TRY - England 5-12 Scotland!!! What a score from Duhan van der Merwe! The hulking Scotland wing drifts inside to latch onto a flat ball, before powering through the line, beating two tackles, and fending off the full-back to score one of the great Calcutta Cup tries! Russell misses from right in front, taking some of the shine off the score, but Scotland restore their seven-point lead regardless.

28 mins: High contact gives Scotland penalty advantage, which Hogg looks to capitalise on by kicking for himself. It doesn't come off though, and we'll come back for the penalty.

Watch: Max Malins slides in at the corner for England's first try of the game (UK): 

25 mins: TRY - England 5-7 Scotland!!! England respond with a beauty!! They build pressure through 14 phases before Smith looks to his wing. Hoisting a kick wide to the right, it's latched onto by a sliding Malins, who grounds the ball in-goal to score the first five-pointer of the Steve Borthwick era! Farrell can't add the extras though, leaving a two-point deficit.

21 mins: A clever kick inside from Malins is missed by Russell, allowing the England winger to capitalise. He recycles the ball quickly and Chessum gallops clear, but he's reigned in short of the line. It's moved wide by Smith to Genge, whose offload to Farrell hits the deck, and the chance goes begging! 

18 mins: Turner smashes over the top of Van Poortvliet as he advances over halfway for Scotland, and Russell kicks ahead looking to find space. Hassell-Collins replies, but can't find touch, meaning Scotland have it back where they started.

Watch Scotland's centres Tuipulotu and Jones combine for the game's first score (UK): 

15 mins: TRY - England 0-7 Scotland!!! The Scots are over!!! Jones starts a move by slicing through the middle, and after finding no luck on the left edge, Russell kicks back to the centre,  where Jones is waiting to ground the ball in the in-goal! Russell converts for the visitors, and just like that, Scotland lead after their first real attack!

12 mins: England throw the ball wide to Hassell-Collins, who races into open pasture down the left and is brought down inside Scotland's 22. He holds onto the ball at the breakdown though, conceding a penalty that halts England's momentum.

9 mins: It's been a game played very much through the middle so far, with neither side really able to exploit any space out wide, and having to kick to find any freedom in the back-field.

5 mins: Steward returns a Scotland clearance with interest, bouncing Tuipulotu off with a powerful charge down the right. England look to recycle it quickly, but another knock-on means another Scottish scrum.

2 mins: Early pressure from England sees Smith kick to the corner, where Russell collects. Scotland manage to keep possession though, and a knock on from the team in white gifts them a scrum.

Kick-Off: Marcus Smith kicks off for England, and this ancient derby is off and running in South-West London!

5 mins from kick-off: The national anthems are sung with passion as ever, including a first "God Save the King" in the Six Nations for a long, long time, and kick-off is just around the corner at Twickenham.

10 mins from kick-off: Twickenham is packed as the players prepare to leave the tunnel and enter the pitch, and what an atmosphere to come out under the lights to!

15 mins from kick-off: England's selections imply that Borthwick wants to give as many players as possible a chance to stake their claims in the side, as the World Cup draws closer. The combination of Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell is also given another chance to develop, with speedster Joe Marchant playing at centre outside the captain.

30 mins from kick-off: Both sides have experimented in several positions for this game, with Borthwick picking two debutants in winger Ollie Hassell-Collins and Jack Walker, who will come off the bench at hooker. Scotland, meanwhile, have selected a backline with one intention - attack. Huw Jones' two tries haunted England in 2015, and he'll be looking to do more of the same today.

45 mins from kick-off: England's 2022 form saw them win just five games, losing three alone in the Six Nations. A win today would not only wrestle the Calcutta Cup out of Scotland's grasp, but would also be a positive way to begin a tournament that the side woefully underperformed in last year.

60 mins from kick-off: Scotland have been building under Gregor Townsend for some time now, in contrast, and should they beat England at Twickenham for the third time since just 1983, it'll set them up for a crucial year of rugby in the best possible way.

🏠 The home of @EnglandRugby 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿@Twickenhamstad provides the backdrop to the new Steve Borthwick era 🎇#AwakenAnticipation pic.twitter.com/2n3HA4CYzF

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 1, 2023

75 mins from kick-off: England come into this match with a brand new head coach, Steve Borthwick, following the sacking of Eddie Jones. The former captain of the national side won a Premiership with Leicester Tigers last season, and in a World Cup year, the Twickenham faithful will hope he can have a similar effect in this Six Nations and France 2023 beyond.

90 mins from kick-off: Hello, and welcome to live coverage of this clash between rugby's two oldest rivals. The second match of the 2023 Six Nations is a corker, as England and Scotland do battle at Twickenham, with the visitors looking to record their third straight victory over England for there first time since 1972.

🏆 The Calcutta Cup through the years.#GuinnessSixNations | #ENGvSCO pic.twitter.com/RFdxLkMlR0

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 2, 2023

MORE: The Six Nations' history and most successful sides since 1883.

England vs. Scotland confirmed lineups

Steve Borthwick's first England squad sees some new faces feature, several of whom have been brought straight into the New England coach's debut matchday 23. Marcus Smith and captain Owen Farrell will hope to further develop their 10-12 combination, with Joe Marchant starting outside the latter in the centres. Debutant Ollie Hassell-Collins plays down the left edge, with the hulking London Irish winger hoping to make a statement in his first international appearance.

◼️ Freddie Steward - 22 years old
◼️ Ollie Hassell-Collins - 24 years old
◼️ Max Malins - 26 years old

Steve Borthwick discusses our back three for #ENGvSCO 👇

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 3, 2023

In the pack, Jamie George has been passed fit to play after a concussion playing for Saracens ruled him out of the initial squad, and he starts at hooker. Harlequin Jack Walker is another debutant waiting in the wings, and should come on to replace George up front. Lewis Ludlam and Ben Curry, twin brother of England regular Tom, are also back in the international fold, and the pair will occupy each flank of the scrum from the off at Twickenham.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 The @EnglandRugby 23 to face Scotland as the Steve Borthwick era begins at Twickenham on Saturday.#GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/F2gvgGTtnP

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 2, 2023

England starting XV: Freddie Steward, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Owen Farrell, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Marcus Smith, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Lewis Ludlam, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt.

England replacements: Jack Walker, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Ben Earl, Ben Youngs, Ollie Lawrence, Anthony Watson.

📍 England (A) @SixNationsRugby 2023 ready.

Read our preview: https://t.co/DdmSXn32RP pic.twitter.com/eeNE1dL1nl

— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) February 3, 2023

A 12-minute concussion injury to Ali Price in the 2022 fixture saw Stoke-born scrum-half Ben White make his international debut for Scotland, and what an impact he made in that short sliver of action. Scoring a runaway try, just six minutes after his introduction gave White a dream start to his Scotland career, and in this year's edition, he starts in the number nine jersey alongside Finn Russell, the maverick fly-half who kicked eight points in Scotland's 20-17 victory at Murrayfield.

Scotland's pack sees wholesale changes, with 2021 Player of the Tournament Hamish Watson absent from the 23 altogether and Luke Crosbie starting at openside in his place. Richie Gray also starts ahead of his younger brother Jonny, who is joined on the bench by Chris Harris. Harris is arguably Scotland's best defensive centre, with Townsend showing his intentions by picking the dynamic combination of Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones ahead of him.

Ben White starting at 9 😍#AsOne pic.twitter.com/IglN4h9ar1

— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) February 2, 2023 

Scotland starting XV: Stuart Hogg, Kyle Steyn, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Finn Russell, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, George Turner, WP Nel, Richie Gray, Grant Gilchrist, Jamie Ritchie, Luke Crosbie, Matt Fagerson.

Scotland replacements: Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti, Simon Berghan, Jonny Gray, Jack Dempsey, George Horne, Blair Kinghorn, Chris Harris.

ICYMI: Your Scotland team to face England in Saturday's Calcutta Cup 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿#AsOne pic.twitter.com/oZBnbpksef

— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) February 2, 2023

England vs Scotland live stream, TV channel

Here is how to watch the match in some of the major territories:

  TV channel Streaming
USA — fuboTV, Peacock, CNBC
Canada —

DAZN
UK ITV One ITV X
Australia — Stan Sport
New Zealand — Sky Sport NOW
India — Premier Sports Asia
Hong Kong — Premier Sports Asia
Malaysia — Premier Sports Asia
Singapore — Premier Sports Asia

USA: All games are streaming live on Peacock and will also be available through fuboTV. However, they will also be repeated on CNBC on delay, usually by a couple of hours. 

Canada: All games are streaming live on DAZN.

UK: Matches will be shown on BBC and ITV, with S4C also broadcasting in Wales.

Australia: Six Nations coverage is provided by Stan Sport.

India: Premier Sports Asia is the main place to watch the Six Nations.

MORE: How to play the Fantasy Six Nations game.

 

England vs. Scotland odds

Despite England being under new leadership in the coaches' box and their poor showings in 2022, the hosts are still heavily backed to re-take the Calcutta Cup from Scotland by the bookmakers. Both Sky Bet and BetMGM have England at less than evens to win, forecasting 1/3 and 3/10 chances respectively of an England victory.

Sports Interaction and Ladbrokes both suggest similar, offering around $1.30 for England to beat their oldest rivals at Twickenham. They also price Scotland as at least $3.30 to win – over $2 more than England's likelihood of victory.

Scotland don't fare much better with Sky Bet or BetMGM either, with the two bookmakers offering 11/4 and 12/5 odds for Townsend's side to win. A draw is almost out of the question for all four to predict, with the shortest odds being Sky Bet's 20/1.

  UK (Sky Bet) USA (BetMGM)

Canada (Sports Interaction)

 Australia (Ladbrokes)
England Win 1/3 3/10 1.31 1.30
Draw 20/1 25/1 23.00 -
Scotland Win 11/4 12/5 3.30 3.50

MORE: How France won the 2022 Six Nations Grand Slam.

Jonathan Burnett

Jonathan Burnett Photo

Jonathan is a freelance content producer and commentator for Sporting News UK, with a focus on international rugby tournaments like the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup. He also works as a commentator for StatsPerform’s football network, covering matches across Europe including the Champions League, 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 2023 Women's World Cup. He’s a regular contributor to the history and statistics website Rugby League Project.

Jonny graduated from Leeds University with a journalism degree in 2021 and was Head of Media at Widnes Vikings RLFC in 2023. A self-confessed nerd of rugby league, union and football (soccer). Jonathan’s coverage across several sports can be found on the TSN site.