Reaction to Scotland win: Scotland coach Frank Hadden paid tribute to an "unbelieveable defensive effort" after his side's magnificent 18-12 RBS 6 Nations Championship triumph over England at Murrayfield.
Despite England dominating possession they were unable to break down an inspired Scottish defensive effort, cheered on by a crowd of 67,500. It was only Scotland’s third win over the auld enemy in 16 years, and Hadden was full of praise for his team.
"I really am lost for words," Hadden said. "It really was an absolutely unbelievable defensive effort and it’s a reminder that there’s more than one way to win a rugby match. The continual in-your-face defensive effort and the sharpness of our line speed and the speed of reorganisation in defence meant that eventually there was nowhere left for England to go.
"There was no let up in our defensive effort. Sometimes you see the bigger, heavier, stronger side wear the other team down but that didn’t happen."
The atmosphere at Murrayfield drew parallels with famous Scottish wins of the past against England. Back in 1990 and 2000 Scotland pulled off shock wins over their more fancied opponents, roared on by a partisan home crowd, and Hadden admitted the support had been a major factor in Scotland’s win.
"The crowd helps you when your backs are against the wall, and they were definitely the 16th man," he added. "I speak as a supporter, because I’ve stood on the terraces all those years ago, and the first thing they want to see is the passion and the pride in the shirt - and they got that.
"We would have liked to have given the crowd more to cheer at the other end, but I thought England played very, very well in the first 30 minutes and that makes it all the more rewarding."
Scotland full-back Chris Paterson kicked five penalties from five attempts and Hadden was delighted with the contribution of the former captain.
"One of the things that has given me confidence in the progress that Scotland have made in the professional era is that there was a time when a kicker lined up a kick and no-one knew what was going to happen," Hadden said.
"But when Chris lines one up I feel like calling for a Chinese takeaway!" With Scotland just six points ahead with 10 minutes to go, England opted to go for goal rather than attempt to press for a try, and Hadden confessed he had been surprised at the decision.
"We’d been so tenacious all day with the driving maul that maybe they felt it was the best option," he concluded.
