Scrappy England close in on Grand Slam

IF ENGLAND wanted to dampen expectations that they will claim their first Grand Slam in eight years in Dublin next weekend then they did rather a good job of it at Twickenham yesterday.

It had seemed a formality that Martin Johnson’s men would roll Scotland aside to set them up for what should be a titanic tussle against Ireland, but instead they produced a shoddy, careless display that almost allowed the Calcutta Cup to go the same way as their Grand Slam hopes.

Their youngsters, so vibrant and exciting in the opening three rounds of the tournament, were silenced to some extent here. Ben Youngs was well shackled, Tom Wood quiet, and Chris Ashton denied space.