Scotland vs. England: Winners and Losers from 2016 RBS 6 Nations Clash

Eddie Jones was delighted to open his account as England coach with a win on Saturday after watching his side beat Scotland 15-9 to move to the head of the 2016 Six Nations standings.

Jack Nowell and George Kruis scored one try apiece to lead the Red Rose to victory in the Calcutta Cup, but Vern Cotter's men have much to be upbeat about following a result that could have easily gone in their favour.

Read on for a roundup of the biggest winners and losers to emerge from Saturday's clash in Edinburgh, including a guest entrant from out of this world.

Winner: Murrayfield

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Murrayfield is ever a cauldron of emotions, but regardless of where one's allegiances laid on Sunday, there was hardly a fan at the Edinburgh venue who could be disappointed with the product on display.

Some may argue the fixture showed examples of the play that's led many to cite southern-hemisphere rugby as being of a superior standard of late, but a close-run match nevertheless proved entertaining to the last.

Owen Farrell's late push on Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw provided late drama, and Scotland can feel pleased about running their foes so close to the wire in a match that was never beyond their grasp.

Were it not for France's narrow 23-21 win over Italy earlier on Saturday, we may not witness many matches at this year's tournament able to trump this.

Loser: Scottish Handling

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More so than this being a resounding vindication of England's quality, one might be tempted to highlight Scotland's ball-handling errors as a large contributor to Saturday's downfall.

Particularly in the first half, Cotter's side were actually the most prominent outfit and accounted for the majority of possession, but too many slips in the enemy's 22 prevented them from registering a try.

Also, despite making more offloads (four) than England (one) and successfully defending 97 per cent of their rucks, Scotland conceded 16 turnovers in total, more than double the seven England surrendered.

Scotland are becoming more and more accustomed to attempting the incredible, but their execution in that regard still leaves a little to be desired.

Winner: Vern Cotter

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We can't let Saturday's result pass us by without again giving praise to Scotland coach Cotter and the very obvious strides the team continues to make under his tutelage.

Scotland showed it against Australia in their World Cup quarter-final, and it's clear their guts haven't diminished since then, evidenced by the fact Saturday's hosts were the controlling outfit for much of the tie.

How inspired young Scottish supporters and budding players must have been to see the likes of Hogg, Sean Maitland and Tommy Seymour hit a wall of English white only to run their way out of trouble time and again.

For years, we've witnessed Scotland slumped near the base of the Six Nations standings, seemingly not under the belief they can compete with the best. Under Cotter, it's clear that belief is there and beating more proudly than ever.

Loser: Stuart Hogg

It's hard not to feel some sympathy for Scotland star Stuart Hogg, a man who consistently excels in international colours and yet so often falls short when it comes to clinching results.

Yet again, the Glasgow Warriors talisman shone among the Scottish back line, carrying for more metres (90) than any other player on the evening. He also managed to beat five defenders, the most by any Scotland player and matched only by England's Billy Vunipola.

Had Finn Russell looked to his left in the 57th minute after intercepting a Ben Youngs pass, he might have found his full-back, who was free to ghost in from long range almost unopposed.

Paul Williams of Rugby World even suggested Hogg should have moved to centre in the last phases in order to get on the ball as much as possible.

For all his efforts, Hogg was once again disappointed to see a close game evade his grasp, and it's becoming all too familiar a storyline for a player who could come to be known as the Scottish equivalent of Sergio Parisse.

Winner: Tim Peake

Dmitry Lovetsky/Associated Press

Rugby isn't just a sport that's going global anymore; thanks to British astronaut Tim Peake, the Six Nations is now beaming to the further corners of the galaxy.

The first British astronaut to join the European Space Agency launched BBC Sport's "out of this world" coverage on Saturday, announcing via his official Twitter account that he was keeping up with all the action at Murrayfield.

From 400 kilometres above at the International Space Station, Chichester native Peake will surely have been overjoyed to see England start the Six Nations with a win.

All statistics come courtesy of ESPN Scrum.