England kept their Six Nations dreams alive with a 25-13 victory over Scotland at Twickenham, lifting the Calcutta Cup in the process.
England got off to a flying start, with Jonathan Joseph scoring his fourth try of the tournament, finding a gap in Scotland's defence following George Ford's pass.
The home side maintained a strong tempo and Mike Brown, returning to the side after suffering concussion against Italy, was tackled just yards from the try line after angling a run from the left wing.
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Scotland made the most of their first period of pressure, with Mark Bennett going over before a touchline conversion from Greig Laidlaw.
George Ford's penalty gave England the lead, but it was Scotland who headed into the break 13-10 in front after two successful kicks from Laidlaw.
After Wales ended Ireland's Grand Slam hopes earlier in the day, England knew that they would have to raise their level in the second half to overcome a resurgent Scotland.
Just four minutes into the half, Bath fly-half Ford broke the line with a dummy pass to score under the posts, before converting to give England a four-point lead.
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Ford's boot then extended England's advantage to seven points, as the pack tried their utmost to wear down the Scottish defence.
A forward pass from James Haskell on the 10m line denied Mike Brown a try after the full-back ran under the sticks, with referee Roman Poite referring the decision to the TMO.
Ford's 40-yard penalty effort bounced off the post and England consequently pounced on the ball before passing out wide, with winger Jack Nowell claiming his second try in seven internationals to give the hosts breathing space.
England ran down the final minutes to secure a valuable victory, leaving them level with Ireland and Wales, but ahead on points difference, with just one round of fixtures remaining.
Michael Hincks
