Tommy Freeman has expressed his confidence that he did touch down a controversial try during England’s Calcutta Cup win over Scotland.
The wing scored the hosts’ only try as they edged out Gregor Townsend’s side for their first win in the fixture since 2020, bashing between Finn Russell and Tom Jordan to reach the line to reply to Ben White’s early opener.
There was a degree of controversy about the awarding of the score, though, with replays suggesting that Freeman may not have got the ball to floor in a tangle of limbs.
Referee Pierre Brousset was quick to give the try on the field, though, and television match official Tual Trainini could find no conclusive evidence to overturn the on-field call.
Sporting a sheepish grin, Freeman suggested that he was confident that it was scored cleanly: “The referee said I got it down, so he must have seen it on the ground. I felt like it went on the ground.”
The converted score proved pivotal as Finn Russell’s missed touchline attempt after Duhan van der Merwe’s late try score Scotland fall just short.
It was Russell’s third miss from the tee on a day where the visitors made almost all of the running but were unable to build scoreboard pressure with England scrambling superbly defensively.
After a run of close defeats last year, it is now two one-point wins in a row for England, and head coach Steve Borthwick is pleased to his side learning and growing together.
“In many ways, it wasn’t pretty, and there was things we’d obviously want to do differently, do better,” Borthwick said. “But ultimately, they found a way to win the game.
“There are two teams out there and we are respectful of the opposition. There’s times where you’re in the ascendancy and times where they are. You have to maximise your opportunities and minimise theirs. Each of these games has been very different.
“What pleases me is I think the team is evolving. We don’t necessarily want to play the way we’ve played today. We want the ball in hand, to move the ball. We have a lot of creative talent, but Scotland are then trying to stop you doing that. And they did it very well. We found a way to win and we’ll make sure we’re better for this experience.”
