It had all the makings of a classic Six Nations match and England v Scotland on the opening day of this year’s Championship certainly did not disappoint as Gregor Townsend’s side won 23-29 at Twickenham in a thrilling encounter.

A head-to-head clash will be remembered by many for Doohan van der Merwe’s stunning first try on the winning goal in the afternoon, when he got the ball in his own half before winning five England innings with a thrilling change of pace and some clever footwork. to score.

But while van der Merwe made headlines, it was the incident that came before that classic try that got fans and pundits alike talking about the game.

Scotsman Finn Russell was the target of England’s defense throughout the match, holding the half ball at the end of some hard tackles and several off-the-ball shoulder checks. Farrell faced a particularly difficult challenge when he broke into England’s 22-yard line just before the half-hour mark, whilst making his side’s second try of the game.

The tackle resulted in a turnover as the ball slipped out of Russell’s hands before ending up in van der Merwe’s hands moments after Kyle Steyn cleared England’s poor clearance for the South African winger. before beginning his mad dash through the opposing midfield, defeating Farrell in the process.

And when van der Merwe crossed the line to stun Twickenham, Russell made sure to fire back at Farrell, walking up to the unwilling Saracen captain, pushing and shouting at him as his fellow Scots cheered around him.

Farrell can be seen stumbling along following the barge before turning to Russell, who in turn hears him before running to greet van der Merwe.

Video of the incident has been viewed over a million times since the game, with rugby pundit Ben Smith watching the fight. “Great tackle by Farrell against Russell forcing the pass,” he said. “Russell made a big effort to come back a few minutes later and tell Farrell that he didn’t try to test Van der Merwe.”

The incident can be seen in a replay of the attempt published by ITV.

However, this fight divided fans and experts alike. While some dismissed this as part of a friendly rivalry or even praised Russell for his revenge, others argued that his actions would not have been celebrated had the tables been turned.

Former England star Mike Brown was among those who questioned the reaction to Russell’s behaviour, writing on Twitter: “Imagine if it was the other way around… [sic] Kkkkkk”. Bad Pharrell’ and lots of x*** about rugby values”.

However, others felt that the altercation was justified and just added drama and excitement to the game. “Finn took a lot of hard knocks today,” said one fan. “From what I saw, everything is fine. The perfect answer.”

“Like this! Never change, Finn never change,” another wrote, while a third commented: “Both class players stuck together. That’s about it. Love.”

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Source: Wales Online