Supreme Scotland stun England to win Calcutta Cup
Saturday, 08 Mar 2008 18:35
Paterson kicked Scotland to victory over England to win Calcutta Cup
Scotland pulled off a hard-fought 15-9 win over England to win the Calcutta Cup and secure their first Six Nations victory of 2008.
Scotland's Chris Paterson kicked 12 of the points as the home side went 9-3 up at the interval in some treacherous conditions.
The defeat leaves England fourth in the group and will heap the pressure on coach Brian Ashton following a disappointing campaign.
The wet and windy conditions ensured it wasn't going to be a pretty affair and the main points of interest were between kickers Paterson and Jonny Wilkinson.
Chris Paterson got Scotland on the board first with a penalty in the eighth minute and after today's game has not missed in his last 30 international kicks.
Iain Balshaw accidentally kneed Rory Lamont in the head as he slid across the wet turf chasing his own kick, knocking the Scot out cold.
The full-back received oxygen before being carted off the field to receive medical attention.
To compound coach Frank Hadden's woes, hooker Ross Ford limped off the pitch minutes before Scotland conceded a penalty.
Wilkinson stepped up to slot home the three points and become rugby union's all-time leading points scorer with 1,093 points, surpassing Neil Jenkins's previous benchmark.
The Scots edged back in front when Andrew Sheridan was penalised for taking out Mike Blair in an offside position and Paterson kicked another three points.
Scotland extended their lead just before the interval when Paterson just about kicked his penalty on target to give his team a six-point lead.
England made a terrible start to the second half when they conceded a penalty straight in front of the sticks. Paterson slotted it home to make it 12-3.
And the lead increased further when Dan Parks stepped up to thump the three points as England looked began to crumble.
Despite two penalties in three minutes from Wilkinson, Scotland managed to play out the final 30 minutes of the game without further score to seal an inspired victory and reclaim the Calcutta Cup.