1971 Scotland versus England rugby union match explained

Rugby Union Centenary International
Other Titles:	1971 Scotland versus England rugby union match
Team1score:	26
Team2score:	6
Stadium:	Murrayfield Stadium
City:	Edinburgh
Referee:	Meirion Joseph (Wales)
Attendance:	50,000^[1]
Previous:	1871

The 1971 Scotland versus England rugby union match, also known as the Rugby Union Centenary International,^[2] was an international rugby union match played between Scotland and England on 27 March 1971, the centenary of the match between the two teams played in 1871.

Overview and background

+ The teams' pre-match record	Team	Wins
	41
	31
Draws	14

The match between Scotland and England on 27 March 1971 was played one week after their Five Nations meeting. The record of both teams at the Five Nations tournament was poor: Scotland finishing last, England second-last. The two teams were separated by just one-point, both on the final standings and in their Five Nations fixture. The Scots came back to win the encounter 15–16,^[3] breaking their six-year, two-match losing streak at Twickenham Stadium.

With the previous weeks result, the competition between both teams was considered very tight. Despite both teams' poor records in the Five Nations, it was notably mentioned as unworthy by the news-media.^[4]

Scotland ran away with a dominant victory at home, 26–6. The twenty-point win was Scotland's biggest victory over England, and remained so for until they met in the 1986 Five Nations.^{[5] [6] [7]}

Match details

FB 15 RW 14 OC 13 IC 12 LW 11 FH 10 SH 9 Duncan Paterson N8 8 Peter Brown (c) OF 7 BF 6 RL 5 LL 4 TP 3 HK 2 LP 1 Substitutes: N8 16 WG 17 CE 18 SH 19 HK 20 PR 21 Coach: Bill Dickinson

FB 15 Bob Hiller RW 14 Jeremy Janion OC 13 Chris Wardlow IC 12 John Spencer (c) LW 11 David Duckham FH 10 Dick Cowman SH 9 Nigel Starmer-Smith N8 8 OF 7 Tony Neary BF 6 Tony Bucknall RL 5 Chris Ralston LL 4 Peter Larter TP 3 Fran Cotton HK 2 John Pullin LP 1 Piggy Powell Substitutes: WG 16 Peter Glover SH 17 Jacko Page HK 18 Andy Johnson PR 19 N8 20 Charlie Hannaford FH 21 Ian Wright Coach: Don White

Notes and References

1. News: 28 March 1971 . Scots Rock England . . subscription .
2. News: 27 March 1971 . England's Rugby Men Slump Again . Football Post . subscription .
3. News: 20 March 1971 . Calcutta Cup: Victory For Scotland . . subscription .
4. News: Lander . Chris . 29 March 1971 . Calamity! Tame England Take A Tartan Tanning . . subscription .
5. News: 29 March 1971 . Scots Let England Off Lightly . . subscription .
6. News: 16 February 1986 . Hastings' Points Record Spurs Scottish Spree . . subscription .
7. News: 17 February 1986 . Scots Are The Leaders Of The Pack . . subscription .