Ben White scores on debut in Calcutta Cup

What a way to start your international career.

With starting nine Ali Price off the field for a Head Injury Assessment (HIA), debutant Ben White came into the fray early than he would have anticipated. His first meaningful act? To score a try against the Auld Enemy.

With the ball working back out wide after a quick throw-in at the lineout, Scotland skipper Stuart Hogg ran it wide as wing Darcy Graham cut a superb, late line. After bursting through the first barricade of defence he was one-on-one with Joe Marchant. Offsetting him with footwork, the diminutive wing pulled clear and with White inside him as the last defender came in, he put the fresh nine away for the try.

England opened the scoring in this Six Nations encounter with a Marcus Smith penalty. The English pack also looked to have the ascendency early on in the set-piece, with Scotland falling awry of a new law that requires hooker to have one foot in front of the other so that all the pressure of the scrum does not go through their spines. They also coughed up one of their lineouts in English territory.

There were also savage hits going in – which we have come to expect in a Calcutta Cup match. But it is when the ball went wide that Scotland fans got excited.

Both sides would exchange penalty kicks as the half drew on and we went in at half-time, Scotland leading 10-6.

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