Steve Borthwick has said his team “found a way to win a tactical arm-wrestle” after England edged Scotland 16-15 at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
Borthwick has spent much of the last year taking positives from close defeats so he was not in the mood to apologise for his side’s stuttering display.
If Finn Russell had not missed his third conversion attempt in the final minute then England’s recovery would have stalled badly after they ended a run of seven defeats against tier one nations with another last-minute win over France two weeks ago.
They were also very fortunate to reach half-time only 10-7 down and though they could not add to Tommy Freeman’s early try, penalties by Marcus and Fin Smith nudged them into a six-point lead, which proved just enough after Russell’s late miss meant an end to the Scots’ four-game winning run in the oldest international fixture in the sport.
“I’m delighted in the last two games the endings have gone our way,” Borthwick said. “In many ways it wasn’t pretty and there are things we want to do better but, ultimately, we kept our composure and found a way to win the game.”
England’s defence was run ragged in the first half as Duhan van der Merwe again proved an irresistible force on the wing.
England improved in the second half, put up some hugely impressive defensive efforts and edged their way ahead with their own thrusts.
“We were very good in attack against France but today Scotland brought a very smart tactical plan and had ascendancy in the first half,” Borthwick said.
“In the second half the players figured it out and found a way to get ahead on the scoreboard.
“It was very difficult to play against and a very different type of game, which is great for this young side. The guys found a way to win a tactical arm-wrestle.
“We don’t necessarily want to play the way we did today, we want to move the ball, but we found a way to win.”
Borthwick also praised the defensive effort — once his team had worked out how to close down the space out wide — and their discipline after they came out on the right side of the penalty count for the fifth time in seven matches.
“Discipline is essential in a game like that when the ball is in the middle of the field and you need to minimise those opportunities for teams to get out wide,” he said.
Captain and man of the match Maro Itoje said: “Scotland played a lot in our half and we didn’t exit the way we wanted but we did fight and scrap.
“They threw a whole load of different questions and scenarios at us and I’m very proud that the boys found a way to win.
“We want to be a team full of character and fight. How much you can pull together to change momentum in your favour is crucial.
“It was a good experience for the team to go through. We’ve been on the end of some results that were negative experiences so this is nice — but it would be nicer if we didn’t have to keep it so close.”
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