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England vs. Scotland: Winners and Losers from 2015 Six Nations Clash

Tom SunderlandMar 14, 2015

England reignited their 2015 Six Nations campaign with a 25-13 win over Scotland on Saturday evening, claiming this year's Calcutta Cup and getting their tournament back on track.

The London hosts were under pressure to get a big result following the Week 3 loss to Ireland and followed up their stuttered start with a better second-half performance to dash the Scots' hopes.

With four defeats from four, Vern Cotter's side go into the final week without a point to their name and have another list of learning points to take from this most recent loss.

Read on for a breakdown of the winners and losers from England's fourth-round victory, where each team created a host of talking points both good and bad.

Winner: England's Title Hopes

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Thanks to Ireland's 23-16 defeat in Cardiff earlier on Saturday, England's result allowed them to pull level on points with both the Boys in Green and Wales, each now sitting on six points apiece.

Regardless of one's take on the performance, the result was the highest priority for Stuart Lancaster's men. Some may have expected a more stylish display from the Twickenham hosts, but keeping alive their silverware ambitions was Saturday's target above all.

Trailing 13-10 at half-time, it was clear England would struggle more than would have been predicted coming into the clash, with Scotland threatening a first victory at English headquarters in 32 years.

A loss would have been devastating for England and effectively good enough to end their 2015 Six Nations dream, but Lancaster's side remain in with a shout thanks to their second-half rally.

Loser: Scotland Succumb to Twickenham Roar

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As has so often been the case for Scotland—not just under Cotter, but for other coaches, too—an encouraging start on Saturday was ceded by the visitors as they were once again forced to give way under immense pressure.

A three-point lead at the interval was eradicated by the 43rd minute thanks to George Ford's try, with the Scots conceding scores in the opening minutes of each period.

We bang the drum about consistency being key at the elite levels of rugby, and it's no unforgivable thing that Scotland aren't yet at the stage of being able to match their opponents in every regard for 80 minutes.

However, playing to one's own strengths and weaknesses is something within their control, but several key lapses in concentration allowed England to make dents too grand to recover from.

Mark Bennett responded to Jonathan Joseph's early score to suggest Scotland weren't afraid of the Twickenham atmosphere. Ultimately, though, the London surroundings proved too much, and Scotland fell away in a familiar turn of events.

Winner: Free-Flowing Scottish Attack

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The promotion of open, entertaining rugby is a poisoned chalice, an art that only those at the very pinnacle of the sport can master, but Scotland may be on their way.

Leaving themselves open to enemy investigation, Cotter's men played some wonderfully creative rugby at times on Saturday, with Bennett's early try a prime example of what they are capable of.

Matt Scott was showing some promise as replacement for the injured Alex Dunbar, albeit not quite of the same quality, and this pack of young Scottish midfielders make for a particularly promising bunch.

The more expressive trait in attack has been a happy product of Cotter's arrival at the helm and is something we haven't always seen during this Six Nations, but it was on display during some very promising patches on Saturday.

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Loser: England Initiative Makes for Mixed Messages

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Lancaster will have been a bustling ball of emotions after the opening quarter of Saturday's win, going from the ecstasy of Joseph's opening try to seeing his side pegged back all too swiftly.

Joseph's score meant this was the first game of this year's Six Nations in which England had notched the first try, having allowed Wales, Italy and Ireland to cross over first in each of their respective games.

However, Lancaster assuredly won't be pleased with the easing up shown by his men immediately after. Admittedly, Stuart Hogg was heroic in preventing a couple of England tries early on, but a failure to convert also isn't an attractive trait.

Instead, the England coach will be looking for a more bloodthirsty approach in future fixtures, attacking in numbers and the intent to punish their opponent time and time again instead of in bits and pieces.

It may come back to bite them in this championship, too, considering their points difference could be a huge factor in whether or not they're ultimately able to strip Ireland of the title.

If one were to compare against the sport's elite, it's an attribute possessed by New Zealand in surplus, but still something Lancaster's lineup are hoping to establish among themselves.

Winner: Jonny Gray Showing Age Is Just a Number

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Twenty years of age or not, Jonny Gray casts a wise figure among the Scottish ranks at present and is one of the squad's more revered players based on current form.

A whirlwind 2014 has perhaps only been bettered by his 2015 thus far, capitalising on the absence of an injured Grant Gilchrist by solidifying his place in Cotter's starting XV.

Now ahead of older brother Richie in the pecking order and even earning calls to become team captain, the tremendously physical Gray stands tall among his more experienced peers.

The youngest player in Scotland's squad contributed 11 tackles on Saturday, second only to flanker Blair Cowan among Scotland players, and was ever an available asset in the loose.

If Gray can maintain the projections cast ahead of him in these first few steps of his international career, major accolades lie ahead. 

All statistics come courtesy of ESPN Scrum.

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