England's pretensions to winning the World Cup in the autumn were subjected to a painful examination at Twickenham in a game of six tries, equally shared, that raised embarrassing questions about their skills, tactics and ability to cope under pressure.
Had Kenny Logan landed either of his long-range penalties, Scotland, the more vibrant and inventive side, might well have celebrated their first Calcutta Cup victory at Twickenham since 1983.
Clive Woodward, the England coach, was clearly dissatisfied with a performance marked by schoolboy errors and poor judgment at half-back. It will hardly surprise if Paul Grayson and Kyran Bracken, who came on as a substitute, and possibly the fullback Matt Perry are all recalled for next Saturday week's visit to Dublin, a game that will severely test England's forwards as well as their backs.
"This is a wake-up call for the entire squad," admitted Lawrence Dallaglio, the England captain. "If we want to break down the defences of the southern hemisphere nations in the World Cup, we'll have to perform with greater intensity. We don't need to change the basics, just make sure they're done a great deal better."
England have slipped back since their 13-7 victory over South Africa in December. The Scots exposed a brain-dead element that was most obvious in defence: the hosts conceded three soft tries, having given away just one in their previous two games, against the Wallabies and the Springboks. Not for the first time Martin Johnson picked up a yellow card for violent play.
England are notoriously slow starters in major competitions and their lack of urgency was repeatedly underlined by Scotland's sparkling pace. Alan Tait recaptured his 1997 Lions form to score two excellent tries, unlocking the England defence with simple straight running. Not bad for a man who will be 35 in July.
England did enjoy a purple patch, surging to a 14-0 lead with two cleverly-worked tries by Tim Rodber and Dan Luger in the opening 20 minutes, but they gradually lost their way until Nick Beal popped up with a third try 14 minutes from the end.
The quick-witted Scots grew in confidence, counter-attacking at pace and more than living up to Gary Armstrong's promise to "play right up in England's faces".
Gregor Townsend, restored to Scottish out-half, was an incalculable force, particularly in broken play where he frequently second His try, seven minutes from time, set English nerves jangling.
England's inability to generate momentum started in their back row, where neither Dallaglio nor Richard Hill made 15- or 20metre drives through the middle. Woodward is bound to consider the claims of Martin Corry or Ben Clarke for Dublin: neither may be as quick as Hill, yet both have the brute power to drive holes through the best defences.
Predictably England's halfbacks, Matt Dawson and Mike Catt, did not achieve the co-ordination needed to put the Scots on the back foot, mainly because the ball produced by the forwards was slow and scrappy.
With the World Cup less than eight months away, Woodward really has to make up his mind on the best number 10 and then stick with him. Catt's game still tends to disintegrate under pressure. Grayson has the temperament to mix and match his style.
England at least can be satisfied with the calm, measured contribution of Jonny Wilkinson, who, according to Woodward, had a "tremendous game in defence".
The 19-year-old was also on target with his three conversions and the first-half penalty that ultimately settled the issue.
England will have to fashion a sharper cutting edge to survive in Dublin.
ENGLAND: N Beal (Northampton); D Rees (Sale), J Wilkinson (Newcastle), J Guscott (Bath), D Luger (Harlequins); M Catt (Bath), M Dawson (Northampton); N Back (Leicester), R Hill (Saracens), L Dallaglio (Wasps, capt); T Rodber (Northampto n), M Johnson (Leicester); D Garforth (Leicester), R Cockerill (Leicester), J Leonard (Harlequins). Replacements - D Grewcock for Johnson (68 min); K Bracken for Dawson (68).
SCOTLAND: G Metcalfe (Glasgow); C Murray (Edinburgh), J Leslie (Glasgow), A Tait (Edinburgh), K Logan (Wasps); G Townsend (Brive), G Armstrong (Newcastle, capt); P Walton (Newcastle), E Peters (Bath), M Leslie (Edinburgh); S Murray (Bedford), S Grimes (Glasgow); T Smith (Glasgow), G Bulloch (Glasgow), P Burnell (London Scottish). Replacements: B Pountney for Walton (53); D Hilton for Burnell (70).
Referee: D McHugh (Ireland).
