Twickenham Stadium: A Dramatic Encounter
TWICKENHAM STADIUM — It’s understandable if Tommy Freeman felt a mix of pride and sheepishness after England’s narrow victory over Scotland. The 23-year-old winger wore a broad smile as he reflected on his crucial try that played a pivotal role in helping England secure a 16-15 win at Twickenham, marking their first triumph over Scotland in eight long years. Freeman’s fourth international try was the sole touchdown for Steve Borthwick’s side, with the remaining 11 points coming from the boots of Marcus Smith and Fin Smith. Given the slim margin of victory, Freeman’s contribution was undeniably significant.
However, a cloud of controversy loomed over the try. In a tense moment, Finn Russell, Tommy Jordan, and Pierre Schoeman were entangled in a struggle, all vying to keep the ball from touching the ground. Despite several replays failing to provide definitive evidence of a clean grounding, referee Pierre Brousset, in his Six Nations and Twickenham debut, awarded the try almost instantly. This left the television match official (TMO) with the daunting task of finding conclusive evidence to overturn the decision.
Tual Trainini, the TMO on duty, reviewed the grounding but ultimately supported the referee’s call. Former England lock Ben Kay commented during ITV’s coverage, stating, “The referee, right there, was pleased he saw the ball on the ground.” He further analyzed the replay, questioning, “Is there a grounding? The referee came round, he felt he could see the point of the ball on the ground.” On BBC’s radio commentary, World Cup-winning scrum-half Matt Dawson raised concerns about whether the pace of the game may have overwhelmed the rookie referee, although this criticism did not extend to the TMO.
Steve Borthwick, England’s head coach, remarked that he had not seen the incident involving Freeman’s try and expressed confidence in the referee’s decisions made during the match. In response, Scotland’s head coach Gregor Townsend attempted to maintain a diplomatic stance but could not hide the frustration of his coaching staff regarding the decision. “I didn’t really look at it; I heard the other coaches say it wasn’t grounded,” Townsend admitted. “But I was on to the next thing, which was a kick-off.”
On BBC Scotland, former international prop Peter Wright did not hold back, stating, “There is no evidence that that ball ever touched the ground. It was not a try.”
So what does Freeman himself think about the controversial try? When questioned about whether he grounded the ball, he flashed a smile and replied, “The referee awarded it; therefore, I grounded it.” When pressed for more detail, he added, “As much as the referee saw, at the end of the day. He awarded it, so that’s the end of it, and I’m not going to say anything different.” Later, when asked again, he stated, “Referee said I got it down; I got it down. I felt like it went on the ground. So yeah, it went on the ground.”
Six Points Squandered
While Scotland fans may feel justifiably aggrieved at the seven points Freeman’s ‘try’ awarded England, it’s important to note that Scotland were playing under a penalty advantage on the goal line. Thus, they would have regained possession even if the try had been disallowed due to a held-up ruling.
Perhaps more culpable for Scotland’s defeat was the erratic kicking performance of fly-half Finn Russell, who had a disappointing record of zero from three, missing all his conversion attempts. This included a crucial opportunity in the 80th minute that could have clinched victory for Scotland had he not pulled it left of the uprights. Despite his kicking woes, Russell was instrumental with the ball in hand, contributing significantly to the creation of each of Scotland’s three tries. However, he will undoubtedly lament his missed opportunities and wish he could have converted at least one kick during such a pivotal match.
Chris Paterson, Scotland’s all-time top points-scorer, remarked, “That’s what you train for. You train to put the other kicks already in the day out of your mind.” He emphasized the importance of sticking to one’s process, noting, “Finn takes pride in that. I think he was 27 out of 28 kicks in last year’s Six Nations.” Paterson continued, “But in that position, you take the moment out of it, you take the score out of it, you take the time out of it, and you stick to your process, which is easier said than done. Don’t forget, you have 79 minutes of fatigue and physicality in your body as well. So it’s a tough one to take. Finn will certainly be disappointed.”
