Scotland player ratings vs England: Stuart Hogg and Jonny Gray shine as Cameron Redpath enjoys dream debut

Man of the match: Stuart Hogg was Scotland's standout performer at Twickenham
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Will Macpherson7 February 2021

Scotland opened their 2021 Six Nations campaign with a stunning win over defending champions England.

Gregor Townsend's side were in fantastic form on Saturday and gave a complete performance as they secured a first victory at Twickenham since 1983.

Standard Sport's rugby correspondent Will Macpherson assesses some fine individual displays...

Backs

Rightly named man of the match. Marshalled brilliantly from the back, kicked superbly and was the game’s biggest running threat. 

Sean Maitland - 8

Fielded and chased the high ball very well, and was a threat with ball in hand. Scotland ruled the airways. 

Chris Harris - 7 

A very solid shift in a fluent backline.

Cameron Redpath - 9

An absolutely superb debut. Assured when kicking, carrying, tackling and, late in the piece, winning ball. Scotland have a gem. 

Duhan van der Merwe - 8

Perhaps should have taken the first opportunity Russell made for him, but a brilliant finish for the score. Brings awesome power to Scotland’s backline. 

Try-scorer: Duhan van der Merwe
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A mixed bag for the playmaker. Pulled the strings well as Scotland pulled ahead, but a dim trip saw him binned, then was scrappy in the second half.

Ali Price - 6

Credit to Price for keeping his composure after two early charge downs of his box kicks by Itoje. Managed the game well, and his skills were tidy after early struggles. 

Forwards

Rory Sutherland - 7

Part of a dominant scrum, but gave away two penalties. 

George Turner - 8

Scotland should have missed Stuart McInally and Fraser Brown, but Turner was dynamic. Carried hard and Scotland’s set-piece functioned better than England’s. 

Zander Fagerson - 8

After an early blip, had the upper hand over Ellis Genge. Excellent around the park too. 

Scott Cummings - 7

Typically industrious - he and Gray make a fine partnership.

Lions candidate: Jonny Gray
AFP via Getty Images

Jonny Gray - 9

A statement showing from a Lions candidate, who outplayed his Exeter team-mate Jonny Hill.

Par for the course for Gray to make a dozen tackles and carry hard. Superb. 

Jamie Ritchie - 7

Not at his most conspicuous, but a very good shift from the vice-captain. 

Hamish Watson - 8

A class act. Made little dents with ball in hand, and was formidable in the tackle. 

Matt Fagerson - 8

Scotland are searching for a permanent No8 to match their brilliant flankers.

This was a very encouraging performance from Fagerson, who made a big contribution to the try. 

Replacements

David Cherry - N/A

Brief cameo on debut.

Oli Kebble - 6

Kept up the good work started by Sutherland.

WP Nel - 6

Six tackles in a short space of time as Scotland closed the game out.

Celebration: Hamish Watson and Scott Steele
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Richie Gray - 5

Tackled hard late on.

Gary Graham - 7

Six carries and four tackles was an industrious showing.

Scott Steele - 6

Contributed to a wild ending to the game.

Huw Jones - N/A

Didn’t touch the ball in his brief appearance.

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