LONDON : Scotland coach Gregor Townsend said he was proud of his team after Saturday’s agonising 16-15 defeat by England at Twickenham ended a run of four straight victories against their hosts and all but killed off any thoughts of winning the Six Nations.
Scotland outscored their opponents by three tries to one, completed more than twice as many passes and had more possession but a last-minute failed conversion attempt from Finn Russell ended their hopes of extending their winning streak against England to a record five games.
“I’m so proud of the group for that effort,” Townsend told reporters. “It probably surpasses, performance-wise, what we’ve done the last two or three years.”
Scotland dominated the first half and must have felt unfortunate to lead by only three points at the break but England improved by just enough in the second half to keep alive their own Six Nations hopes.
“England defended really well, they kept their discipline,” Townsend said. “They were really strong close to the ruck. Credit goes to them.”
Flyhalf Russell missed all three conversion attempts, including his last-ditch effort after Duhan van der Merwe’s try that would have won the game, but Townsend was still full of praise for his co-captain.
“Finn’s an outstanding goal kicker,” he said. “They were tough kicks today.”
Townsend’s record against England remains strong, with five wins and one draw in his eight games in charge against the hosts.
Tries from Ben White, Huw Jones and Van der Merwe were still not enough for victory as second-half penalties from Fin and Marcus Smith gave a below-par England the narrow victory after Tommy Freeman’s sole try in the first.
Despite the defeat, co-captain Rory Darge was much happier with his side’s performance after a disappointing 32-18 defeat to Ireland two weeks ago but rued his side’s missed chances.
“We’re gutted but I think the performance was so much better than last time,” Darge said.
“It’s important in test match rugby when you have those purple patches, especially in the first half, that you take your opportunities.”
