England beat Scotland after sensational battle - Rugby World Cup News
A dramatic 77th minute try from Chris Ashton sealed a sensational victory for England in Auckland on October 1. England was trailing by 9-12 with just three minutes remaining in the final whistle when Ashton rose to the occasion and gave an exhilirationg
performance. The hard fought 16-12 victory over Scotland has helped England become the group leaders along with solidifying a quarter-final berth.
Scotland's Head Coach, Andy Robinson, made six changes to his team, six in personnel and one positional. Skipper Alastair Kellock returned to the second row accompanied by Euan Murray, who started the game at tighthead prop. Richie Vernon was given the number
eight position for this much anticipated match. Among the other significant changes Mike Blair was included in the side in place of Rory Lawson.
Meanwhile, for England, Delon Armitage made a comeback in the team after missing the last match. Courtney Lawes marked his presence in the field after missing two consecutive games due to a ban. He replaced Tom Palmer in the second row.
Scotland gave a real tough time to England in the whole match but unfortunately could not carry the day despite tremendous efforts. The Scottish side surprised Six Nations champs by an early lead when they scored two unanswered penalty goals with the first
20 minutes of the match. Chris Paterson and Parks elevated their team with a meagre but hard fought lead of 9-3 at the end of the first half. Jonny Wilkinson scored the only three pointer for England before the break.
The English side was required to put in a big effort to bounce back in the match after the break but they faced further difficulties when Scotland enhanced their total to 12-3. However, the winners put a big full stop on the Scottish score and restricted
them until the end. Slowly but steadily, England reached the point where one big effort could seal the victory for them.
With the 77th minute ticking on the clock and England trailing by 9-12, Chris Ashton managed to tear apart the tired defence of Scotland and registered an astounding victory for his team.
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