Scotland ended their 38-year wait for a victory at Twickenham in emphatic style on Sunday (NZ time) as they produced a superb performance to swamp defending champions England 11-6 on the opening day of the Six Nations Championship and claim the Calcutta Cup.
Scotland controlled almost all the first half and led 8-0 on the back of an excellent try for winger Duhan van der Merwe.
But they were frustrated that they didn't have more points on the board and that their own indiscipline allowed England to edge back to 8-6 at the break with two Owen Farrell penalties.
Scotland flyhalf Finn Russell returned from the sin-bin early in the second half to stretch the lead and with captain Stuart Hogg and debutant centre Cameron Redpath on fire, England were barely able to escape from their own half and never remotely threatened a try.
As the rain lashed down on an empty Twickenham, Scotland continued to make the better decisions and though two missed goalkicks made for a nervous finale, this time, two years after England scored an 83rd-minute try to snatch a 38-all draw, they held out almost comfortably.
It was a notable way for Scotland to mark the 150th anniversary of the fixture, the oldest in international rugby.
In the early game, France started their Six Nations campaign on Saturday with a ruthless 50-10 victory against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico, which despite the weakness of the opposition confirmed their credentials in the championship.
Fabien Galthie's side scored seven tries with scrumhalf Antoine Dupont once again living up to expectations with four assists, a performance only achieved in the Six Nations by his compatriot Frederic Michalak in 2006 and England's Austin Healy in 2000.
Reuters
