Scotland and England both left unsatisfied by Calcutta Cup as Six Nations pressure turned up on key men

England’s 16-15 victory saw them lift the Calcutta Cup for the first time in five years but some sections of the Twickenham crowd booed them for the manner in which it was achieved.

Scotland, meanwhile, were left to rue defeat in a match they really should have won. They dominated possession and territory and outscored their rivals by three tries to one but they were never able to build a substantial lead. Finn Russell missed all three conversions and the Scots gave away a slew of penalties in the second half against durable if uninspiring opponents.

The post-match debate inevitably honed in on Russell’s last-gasp kick for victory after Duhan van der Merwe’s 79th-minute try had brought Scotland to within a point. But the visitors should have had this match in the bag long before the stand-off pulled his conversion attempt wide of the post.

They bossed the first half and played some wonderful rugby but failed to construct the sort of lead that reflected their dominance. They went in at the turn only 10-7 ahead and there was a sense even then that it was not going to be enough.

“We felt we were the better team,” reflected Kyle Rowe, the Scotland winger. “We just left too many opportunities out there to go and win the game.”

England lived up to all the old stereotypes. They were plodding, stubborn, one-dimensional and kicked the leather off the ball but ultimately it was winning rugby and their three second-half penalties - two from Marcus Smith and one from his namesake, Fin - wrested control of the game back from Scotland.

It was not a performance to win over the neutrals and it’s unlikely to persuade Netflix to reverse the decision to pull the plug on their Six Nations docuseries but it was enough to end their barren run in this fixture. We've had four different prime ministers and a change of monarch since England last won the Calcutta Cup.

The three Scotland tries were all splendid; thrilling affairs which showcased the passing and handling skills of one of the world's best backlines. Ben White, Huw Jones and van der Merwe were the scorers but they were real team efforts and kudos to Tom Jordan and Rowe for the way they fitted in. Sione Tuipulotu and Darcy Graham are huge players but it's to Jordan and Rowe's credit that their injury-enforced absence did not disrupt Scotland's fluidity.

Townsend's side in full flow are a joy to watch but the cold hard reality is that this defeat has ended their title challenge with two games still to play. Scotland will now be more concerned about what lies beneath them. Wales, currently bottom of the Six Nations table with a solitary point, looked revitalised in defeat against Ireland on Saturday.

With Warren Gatland gone and Matt Sherratt in interim charge, they played with far more intent and led 13-10 at half-time before the champions pulled away in the second half to win 27-18 in Cardiff.

Wales will be targeting the match at Murrayfield on March 8 as one they can win and Townsend is acutely aware the pressure will be on.

“They played well,” said the coach who watched the Wales-Ireland match on the journey in to Twickenham. “They moved the ball a lot as well so it's going to be a real test for our defence. They won a lot of scrum penalties against a very good Irish pack. That's pretty much all I can analyse from what I was watching on the phone on the bus but they will be full of positivity and feeling maybe they've got nothing to lose in their final two games, so that's a dangerous opponent.

“But we're back at home. We asked the players to show who we are as a team, and that's attack, defence, but also what it means to play for Scotland in terms of the effort required, and they showed that on Saturday in a tough venue against a very good team. We just need to make sure that that continues in our next two games.”

Scotland’s final game is against France in Paris on March 15 and they are unlikely to have as much possession or as many chances as they did at Twickenham. They will need to be more ruthless at a venue which has never been a particularly happy hunting ground for Scottish teams.

Darcy Graham is likely to be available for the final two rounds as he returns from the concussion he suffered against Ireland while Townsend said Kyle Steyn was “touch and go”.

“Darcy will return to contact by the end of the week, so he'll have full training ahead of Wales,” said Townsend. “Unless there's any changes to how he's been progressing, we believe he'll be available.

“Blair [Kingnorn] might be another story because he might have to play a game for Toulouse next week against Vannes. But I'm hoping Toulouse give him a rest.”

Ben White and Jonny Gray, Townsend’s other French-based players, could also be involved with their clubs, Toulon and Bordeaux-Begles, respectively.

In the fall-out from Twickenham there was some grumbling that England’s only try, scored in the first half by Tommy Freeman, had not been properly grounded. The player himself didn’t sound entirely convincing when he said, “the referee awarded it, therefore I grounded it”.

There was an added twist of the knife for Scotland when Fin Smith landed what turned out to be the decisive penalty from almost 50 metres with 10 minutes remaining. The England fly-half’s Scottish parents, Andrew and Judith, were watching in the stand, doubtless conflicted by this extraordinary scenario. The couple met at the nearby London Scottish clubhouse and Judith’s father Tom Elliot, from Galashiels, like Townsend, represented Scotland and the British & Irish Lions as a loosehead prop.

Smith opted for England despite conversations with Townsend and it turned out to be Fin’s day at Twickenham rather than Finn’s.