5 memorable meetings between England and Scotland

England and Scotland clash at Twickenham on Saturday in the 150th anniversary of the oldest fixture in international rugby.

Here, the PA news agency looks back at five memorable encounters between the fierce rivals.

Scotland 1-0 England – Raeburn Place, 1871

Scotland enjoyed a triumphant start to the oldest fixture of them all
Scotland enjoyed a triumphant start to the oldest fixture of them all (Andrew Matthews/PA)

A crowd of 4,000 gathered in Edinburgh to watch the first international rugby match and the birth of a fierce rivalry that endures until this day. Each team fielded 20 players and under a radically different scoring system the Scots prevailed by one goal with both teams scoring a solitary try. Scotland entered the game as underdogs, thereby setting the tone for much of the next 150 years.

Scotland 1-1 England – Raeburn Place, 1879

The Calcutta Cup is contested every year by England and Scotland
The Calcutta Cup is contested every year by England and Scotland (Danny Lawson/PA)

By now the numbers had been reduced to the more recognisable 15-a-side, including a pack of 10 forwards, and the Calcutta Cup was at stake for the first time. The oldest rugby trophy of them all, it was forged out of melted down rupees by The Calcutta Football Club in India and presented to the Rugby Football Union. England were the first to win it in 1880 after the meeting a year earlier ended in a hard-fought draw.

Scotland 6-9 England – Murrayfield, 1991

Gavin Hastings was one of Scotland's greatest players
Gavin Hastings, the 1993 Lions captain, was one of Scotland’s greatest players (Adam Butler/PA)

A nail-biting and hostile World Cup semi-final that will forever be remembered for Gavin Hastings’ missed penalty with the score tied 6-6 late in the game. Less than 20 metres out and just wide of the right post, the usually unflappable Hastings’ kick sailed off target and Rob Andrew went on to land the winning drop-goal to seize victory for England. Hastings has since said he believes Scotland would have won the World Cup had they dispatched the Auld Enemy.

Scotland 19-13 England – Murrayfield, 2000

Duncan Hodge (right) is mobbed by team-mates after scoring his try in a famous victory over England
Duncan Hodge (right) is mobbed by team-mates after scoring his try in a famous win against England (Ben Curtis/PA)

One of two Grand Slam fails in Edinburgh sandwiching the dramatic victory in 1991, England were incapable of nullifying the brilliance of fly-half Duncan Hodge, who scored all of his side’s points including a try in torrential rain. Scotland had lost all four previous games of the maiden Six Nations Championship and had been written off against Sir Clive Woodward’s team, adding to the euphoria over the victory.

England 38-38 Scotland – Twickenham, 2019

George Ford scores the injury-time try that denied Scotland two years ago
George Ford scores the injury-time try that denied Scotland two years ago (Steven Paston/PA)

One of the most remarkable fixtures in Test history would have produced possibly the greatest comeback of them all had Scotland not been denied by an injury-time George Ford try. Down 31-0, Finn Russell inspired a stunning response that swept the Scots 38-31 ahead until Ford intervened with the last play of the game.

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