74 min: More pain incoming for Scotland. A penalty gives England the chance to set up a line-out within touching distance of the line.

72 min: Some fortune for Scotland as England make a mess of the line-out. Scotland have the scrum and opt for a cross-field kick off the back of it. It doesn’t quite work so England have the line-out again. They’ve lost maybe two metres but this time win the ball.

70 min: England win a bit of kick tennis. A minute ago they were defending inside their own 22. Now, after dominating with the boot, they’re throwing to the line-out 10 metres inside Scotland’s half.

68 min: Another knock-on from Scotland inside England’s red zone. It’s just so frustrating. I don’t think they’ve been that terrible. The bagpipes are still playing as Flower of Scotland rings out. I guess the fans aren’t too fussed.

64 min: Venner is hammered out of touch by Brebner-Holden. Then they need to be separated as a bit of tension boils to the surface. It was a tough take for Venner who had to catch above her head. Scotland show some bravery and throw over the top of the line-out. It works as they come away with the ball. But Nelson’s clearing kick is not a good one. England still inside Scotland’s 22 with this line-out.

63 min: England turn over Scotland inside their own 22 and Kabeya – my pick for player of the match – rampages through a half gap. She comes within 10 of the line before she’s stopped. They have the advantage, so even though Breach is drilled in the contact, England will have another chance to score. There’s a team warning for Scotland. Another infringement in the red zone and someone will see yellow.

62 min: Kildunne and Rowland are subbed off. On come Venner and Aitchison. Harrison stays on at fly-half.

61 min: Harrison launches a long clearing kick after the restart. Seems innocuous, but deserves a shout. She has been not perfect all afternoon.

60 min: A Mexican wave ripples across the ground as England get going off the scrum. Feaunati finds space in midfield and off-loads back infield….

58 min: A mistake in the backfield from Scott will hand England a scrum on the left tram inside Scotland’s 22. Scotland were on the ball until they weren’t, thanks to Kildunne snaffling a pass and kicking ahead. Scott ran back to mop up but spilled the ball on the ground.

57 min: Nelson overcooks another kick. She’s not brought her kicking boots today. Out of hand, she drills one far too long and it bobbles out all the way at the far end of the pitch. England get a relieving drop-out from their 22.

52 min: Another – what is that, four? – blown opportunity for Scotland. This line-out throw is not straight. Scotland always had little more than a slim chance today. But that is reduced to zero without a funcitoning line-out inside England’s 22.

From the scrum, England’s new front row win a penalty. So from throwing to the line just 20 metres from the line, Scotland now must defend a line-out on halfway.

51 min: What a run from Muir. How on earth does anyone tackler her? With three defenders apparently. But it’s Scotland back on the ball after winning a line-out. They now have a penalty as England are too exuberant on the ground. Jones, not rolling away, is the guilty party. Scotland will have another throw on England’s 22 as the visitors switch their front row in one shot. Cokayne, Muir and Clifford replaced by Powell, Carson and Bern.

47 min: How frustrating for Scotland. One step forward, one step back. They have the line-out but they throw it away as England read them like a book, pinching the ball in the air. England’s backline is very deep but the close the space in a flash. Some neat interplay between Sing, Breach and Kildunne down the left wing keeps the move alive. Harrison looks up and spots some space in the far right corner. She has the penalty advantage so rakes a kick ahead. It’s a little too long. No matter. They come back for the penalty that Harrison nudges out for a line-out about 10 metres out.

45 min: Scotland win the ball back by holding up Breach who ran out of room on the right wing. Kabeya won possession on the far wing as she snaffled a loose Scottish pass. Packer darted. Muir stood in at scrumhalf and Rowland flung a long ball for Breach. Perhaps it was the wrong option as the floating ball allowed the Scottish defenders to regroup. The scrum then goes Scotland’s way as they get a penalty that is kicked down field.

43 min: Wills leaves the field holding her right arm. She was clattered by two English players and looks in pain. Scott joins the party in time for this England scrum just inside Scotland’s half.

43 min: A little better from Scttland. Lloyd and then Coubrough and then Clarke make ground. Stewart has it but then momentum stalls on halfway and they start moving backwards. England swarm. They really do pick their moments. A double hit on Wills causes trouble in the line so Scotland try and rush things, ending with Coubrough knocking on.

41 min: An early spill of the pill gives Scotland a chance to set something up from a scrum inside their own half.

I want to see more punch from the Scots. Easier said than done, but that really was the difference between the teams. They more or less spent as much time on the ball. England just rampaged over the gainline with just about every carry.

40 min: Scotland get one more chance before halftime as they are awarded a penalty that Nelson nudges out for a line-out inside England’s 22.

31 min: In the blink of an eye, England are back in Scotland’s 22. They won the ball back in contact down in their own half and launched a move that has eaten up about 45 metres. Muir steamrolls Skeldon, running over the Scotland hooker. They’re swarming left and right. Stewaet is caught at the bottom of a ruck and can’t escape, but she’s in an illegal position so there’s a penalty call. England, about eight in front of the poles, choose to tap and go…

29 min: Now England win the scrum penalty. From a Scottish line-out and maul, in a flash Harrison hoofs the penalty out on the 10 metre line. England will run off the top of the line-out and go from left to right, all the way to Breach. But there’s a forward pass along the way. Yup, Sing’s final ball drifted out of her hand.

28 min: Scotland get a rumble on from a line-out inside England’s patch. It makes some ground and then splinters. It collapses and the ball can’t be released out the back. England win the scrum call in their own 22.

26 min: Another wasted opportunity from Scotland as they make a mess of a line-out inside England’s 22 following a penalty that was kicked out. Against the best you have to be at your best and Scotland have been well short of that.

22 min: Smith takes over the kicking duties from Nelson and she launches a huge bomb that lands just infield way down town. England now have to get free from this line-out inside their own half. Harrison does just that and after the return kick, Sing is on the counter. England hunting again.

20 min: Sloppy from England as Rowland throws a forward pass. England didn’t quite get their formation set from that scrum. After a slick start, they’ve dropped their standards the last five minutes.

19 min: Well then. Scotland get away with that as they win a scrum penalty. Big let off. Campbell can thank her front row mates.

OH! But Nelson doesn’t find touch with the penalty kick so England counter from deep. Then there’s a Scottish knock-on following Breach’s off-load back infield from the right wing.

That all ends with England awarded another scrum, this time about 30 metres out all the way on the right.

17 min: England will have a scrum inside Scotland’s 22 after some dilly-dallying from Campbell put her team under pressure. The Scotland winger mopped up a long kick from Harrison but chose to run it back rather than kick. That meant the England wall could rush up and a phase later they forced a Scottish knock-on. They look more ruthless than they did last week against Ireland. This could get messy for the home team as England look in the mood.

15 min: Coubrough knocks on in midfield as she gets hit hard. The difference between these two teams seems to be the punch they possess in contact. England routinely get over the gainline. Scotland have kept the ball well but they just can’t breach the brick wall.

12 min: This time Feaunati and Killdunne make a pig’s ear of things down the left. After some meaty carries, with Clifford bulldozing three defenders, the England No. 8 had the ball and was caught in two minds. Does she pass or run. She chose the latter and by the time she shovelled it on to Kildunne to her left they were too close to each other and the try-scorer spilled it. They’ll get another chance or two, no doubt.

10 min: England are so good off first phase play. Off the top of the line-out they launch a choreographed attack that was just delicious with dummy runners and skipped passes. Jones had it last before she kicked ahead. A kinder bounce of the ball would have seen Kildunne gather and score in the left corner. Instead Scotland will get the line-out and clear.

9 min: Nelson overcooks another kick from hand so England will have another line-out on halfway.

7 min: Almost for England! Off the line-out they maul but then shoot it out the back where Harrison nudges a lovely grubber through the onrushing defence. Jones gives chase but she just can’t get there as it bounces out of touch at the far end. Nifty from the Red Roses.

6 min: A bit of kick tennis is emphatically ended by Harrison who lands a wonder of a 50-22 that just drops over the Scottish fullback and bobbles out of touch. Now England have a chance to maul from the line-out.

5 min: It’s all Scotland. England haven’t touched the back except to kick it from deep. Clarke on the ball again. They keep possession but don’t make much ground. Just no punch so Nelson kicks from hand but overcooks it. She hoofs it straight out which will hand England a line-out 10 metres inside their own half.

3 min: And it’s held up! Clarke was on the ball and she had support from behind as she pushed forward. She manages to wriggle away from the contact and gets over the line, but three English players hold her up and they get a relieving clearing kick from their goal line.

3 min: The scrum doesn’t get going and it collapses, giving Scotland a free-kick. They’ll tap and go from right in front….

1 min: From the kick-off, Sing’s clearing kick doesn’t go long so Scotland can launch off the line-out. They make great ground off first-phase strike play and Coubrough is away. But they soon knock on five metres short of England’s line as they looked to gather through the phases. Promising, but that’s a sloppy miss from the Scots and a wasted opportunity to land an early blow.

Maud Muir leads the teams out on the occasion of her 50th cap.

She is beaming the BIGGEST smile you will ever see. What a vibe!

England’s defence coach, Sarah Hunter, speaks on the long, long, list of absentees from the side:

It’s quite unheard of within an England squad over the years. As a coaching squad, we’re taking it in our stride.

It gives an opportunity to someone else and the great thing about our squad is that whoever comes in is welcomed and fits in.

If we think about it in a four-year cycle [between World Cups], it’s almost good that we’re having this situation now, that we can grow and develop some of the younger players coming through who might be there in four years’ time.

It might be accelerating them a little bit, but all of the players who have come in have been playing brilliantly for their clubs in PWR. They’ve been a credit to this group and it’s exciting that they get the opportunity.

There are 24 Scottish players in the wider 38-woman group who ply their trade in England’s PWR.

I don’t think that will count for much, but it does show that coaches in the best league in the world rate them.

Another Women’s Six Nations game, another record crowd.

This is the first time more than 30,000 tickets have been sold for a Scotland home game.

How about some stats I’ve dug up (pulled straight from Scottish Rugby’s own website):

• England (57%) and Scotland (55%) had the highest territory rates of any sides in Round One of this year’s Guinness Women’s Six Nations.

• Scotland had the highest ruck success rate of any side in last weekend’s fixtures (97.8%), while England’s average attacking ruck speed of 2.56 seconds was the quickest of any team last time out.

• Scotland (5/5) and England (8/8) were two of three sides not to lose a single scrum on their own put-in during the opening round of this year’s Championship (also France, 3/3).

Sarah Rendell – our eyes and ears on the ground today – has written a couple of banging pieces focussing on Scotland.

The first is a report from inside the Scottish camp as a contract dispute continues to bubble in the background:

The next is a preview looking ahead to this ‘landmark’ game: