Scotland 15 England 9: Jonny Wilkinson broke Test rugby's world points record but could not prevent England from suffering an embarrassing Calcutta Cup defeat to the hitherto woeful Scots at Murrayfield.
Coach Brian Ashton must now expect to face the music after an error-strewn display in often dismal conditions after his decision to ditch Wasps star Danny Cipriani resulted in a performace devoid of attacking flair and tactical acumen.
Their outside chance of claiming the Six Nations title evaporated as Chris Paterson — Scotland's matchwinner in the same fixture two years ago — returned to haunt them.
Gloucester ace Paterson booted four penalties — he kicked five on England's last Murrayfield visit — while substitute Dan Parks landed a long-range effort.
Wilkinson, level before kick-off with Welshman Neil Jenkins' world record of 1090 points for Wales and the Lions, reached 1099, but his overall game proved below-par.
He was hauled off 10 minutes from time — Charlie Hodgson replaced him — while captain Phil Vickery also failed to last the distance.
It was Scotland's first victory of the Six Nations campaign, and while tries still deserted them, England's chronic attacking deficiencies meant they were never seriously troubled.
Early exchanges were predictably cautious in difficult conditions. A slippery surface did not help either side, and it was immediate that both teams' kicking games had to be spot-on in a clash destined to be dominated by the boot.
England though, were desperately poor during the opening 15 minutes, failing to function at lineouts and looking off the pace when it came to close-quarter combat.
Paterson's eighth-minute penalty gave Scotland a deserved lead, and poor English discipline proved a recurring problem early on, with South African referee Jonathan Kaplan all too ready to punish them.
But England could have no complaints as the official ruled with an iron hand, and it took the visitors almost 20 minutes to mount a first meaningful attack.
It predictably fizzled out, but the game was held up for several minutes after a sickening collision between Cipriani's replacement Iain Balshaw and Scotland wing Rory Lamont.
Balshaw's knee accidentally smashed into the Sale Sharks wing's head as they contested a 50-50 ball, and result was Lamont being carried off with an oxygen mask over his mouth.
Parks took over from Lamont and England quickly drew level as Wilkinson landed his world record strike with an angled 25-metre penalty.
Parks slotted in at outhalf, with the versatile Paterson moving to wing duties, and his second successful penalty nine minutes before half-time edged Scotland 6-3 ahead.
Scotland then ended the half by extending their lead when Paterson completed his penalty hat-trick, and England had it all to do, trailing by six points at the break.
Within 25 seconds of the restart though, they gifted Paterson a penalty in front of the posts, and he duly accepted a gilt-edged opportunity to make it 12-3.
Parks increased Scotland's advantage through a superb long-range penalty, and although Wilkinson narrowed the gap to nine points, the home side still enjoyed control with 30 minutes left.
A third Wilkinson penalty offered England a glimmer of hope, and entering the final quarter of a poor-quality game, they looked to establish consistent territorial dominance but repeatedly fell short and succumbed to their second defeat of the campaign.
