Five Chris Paterson penalties – one a 43m monster – and a Dan Parks drop goal, plus some huge hits in a well-drilled defensive effort, brought the win that sent Murrayfield into raptures when captain Jason White lifted the oldest trophy in international rugby.
Each Scotland player displayed true grit, determination and passion, leaving the Murrayfield crowd brimming with pride at the hardy display and captain White, who was also named Man of the Match, was quick to acknowledge the part the public played in the victory – as he collected the Calcutta Cup, he said: "It means everything. The noise was just so amazing - thank you [the supporters] all so much."
The result is even more impressive given the official match statistics which showed that while England completed 168 passes to Scotland’s 56, spent 24 minutes in possession to Scotland’s 13, and spent 25 minutes in the opposition’s half to Scotland’s 23, the most telling stat of all was England’s 36 tackles made to Scotland’s phenomenal 112.
Scotland coach Frank Hadden’s opening remark to the media conference said it all. "I really am lost for words. The absolutely unbelievable defensive effort today was a reminder that there is more than one way to win a rugby match."
On Scotland’s defensive effort, Frank said: "Eventually there was no where for England to go. There was just no let-up in our defensive effort. Obviously the scoreboard helps and the crowd was just absolutely magnificent, especially when our backs were to the wall.
"I speak as a supporter having travelled to all the grounds and spent many years on the terracing just watching. The first thing that supporters want to see is the total commitment, pride and passion in playing for their country. With our boys that’s a given."
Chris Paterson opened Scotland’s scoring in the first minute of the game as the English were penalised for being offside in front of the posts when trying to stop one of Simon Taylor’s drives. Paterson slotted the penalty taking the Scots 3-0 into the lead.
England showed their confidence was high. They were awarded a penalty in the fifth minute and opted to kick for the corner rather than the posts then slowly ambled towards the resulting line-out. The move from the lineout though didn’t quite come to fruition so with their next penalty, they played safe and opted for goal, Charlie Hodgson equalling the score in the 7th minute.
In what could be considered one of the best displays of Scotland defence in many a year, Scotland rattled England early with immense hits being put in from forwards and backs alike. It was not all going Scotland’s way though as again there were a few problems with the line-out possession but to counterbalance that, the pressure the Scots put on the opposition forced England into several handling errors and a lack of cohesion in attack, noticeably a quarter of the way into the game when Marcus Di Rollo came hurtling towards Josh Lewsey as he waited to collect the high ball which he promptly spilled.
England lock Danny Grewcock, obviously frustrated at Scotland’s impressive driving towards England’s try line, decided to take out his frustration by felling Ally Kellock off the ball. However referee Alan Lewis saw the episode and sent Grewcock for a ten minute visit to the sin bin.
Scotland were utterly relentless in their defence but were also hungry for possession winning nine turnovers to England’s two.
England had a final bash at Scotland’s try line just before half time with Scotland being repeatedly penalised in close-range scrums. Then due to the wet conditions and the ground cutting up, the referee moved the scrum further towards the centre of the pitch, giving England wing Ben Cohen acres of space to aim for the try line. However, Scottish hearts were raised when what looked like a probable try ended as Cohen took his eye off the ball and spilled the pass.
Within a minute of the second half, England took the lead with a Hodgson penalty as Scotland were ajudged offside after Simon Taylor had been unable to gather the kick-off but no sooner had he scored than Paterson levelled for the Scots with a low, flat penalty kick a minute later to which he added another six minutes later taking the Scots into a 9-6 lead.
Confidence bolstered again, the Scots lived dangerously – but it worked out perfectly – when rather than a clearing kick from the breakdown, they passed along the line, running the ball out from their own try line to the opposite side of the pitch, allowing Chris Paterson to hoof the ball into touch.
Scotland showed signs of the impressive rolling mauls that worked so well against France but England, that being one of their most successful plays for years, didn’t succumb quite in the manner of the French. Still, with the crowd spurring them on, the Scotland boys pumped the legs and gained more territory.
With Scotland on the attack, Dan Parks sat back into the pocket behind his forwards and slotted a sweet drop goal to extend the Scots’ lead. The scoreboard didn’t stay still for long as after a flurry of subs from both sides, England were awarded a penalty as Scotland were offside going into the final quarter and Charlie Hodgson kicked for a further three points.
England picked up the pace and had periods of more sustained pressure but there was no way through the Scotland defence as they continued to batter the English back, time and time again, a tribute to their organisation, relentless willpower and fitness.
The pace never let up as they entered the final ten minutes and the volume in Murrayfield swelled as the crowd heartily sang Flower of Scotland as a backdrop for Chris Paterson’s next penalty kick but as it had been all game, when one team scored, the other responded quickly and Hodgson brought the English within three points again with a penalty in the 74th minute.
Scotland stayed solid and there was no way through for the men in white shirts and to round off the scoring with four minutes to go, Chris Paterson kicked his final penalty to make the final score 18-12.
England coach Andy Robinson said: "Scotland’s defence statistics highlight the game. They kept their shape, we didn’t take our opportunities but they did. It was a magnificent Scotland effort to hold out. We allowed them to disrupt our game and slow us down. They controlled the game and took their kicks which allowed them to win."