England down Scotland to keep Slam dream alive

England stayed on course for their first Grand Slam since 2003 yesterday, defeating Six Nations rivals Scotland 22-16 in a scrappy encounter at Twickenham.

A second-half try from replacement flanker Tom Croft and 17 points from the boots of Toby Flood and Jonny Wilkinson clinched victory for England as Scotland’s 28-year losing streak at Twickenham continued.

Scotland’s points came from a late try by wing Max Evans while fullback Chris Paterson added two penalties and a conversion. Fly-half Ruaridh Jackson added a drop goal.

The win means that Martin Johnson’s England will travel to Dublin on Saturday knowing that victory over Ireland will give them their first Grand Slam in eight years.

However, England know they will have to improve significantly if they are to defeat the Irish at Lansdowne Road after a disjointed and error-strewn performance.

Scotland meanwhile will now be aiming to avoid a wooden spoon against Italy at Murrayfield after their fourth defeat of the championship.

England captain Mike Tindall, who accepted the Calcutta Cup trophy from his future mother-in-law Princess Anne, admitted that the performance was not the one they had wanted.

“Obviously winning the game is the most important thing but we are not happy with the way we played,” said the 2003 World Cup winning centre.

“However, it’s good to see that when you are not playing well you can still eke out a win,” added Tindall, who did not appear for the second half as he had an ankle injury.