Six Nations kicks off with no fans in stadiums as England take on Scotland in an empty Twickenham
Six Nations, no crowds: Scotland take the lead 11-6 against England in eerily silent Twickenham as millions of rugby fans cheer on at home
- Scots took an early lead in southwest London, perhaps alleviated by absence of the usual 80,000 onlookers
- Earlier France trounced Italy 50 points to 10 at a similarly quiet contest at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome
- It’s only a few months since last fixtures of 2020’s tournament were played after outbreak halted competition
Rugby’s Six Nations kicked off today with no fans as England faced fierce rivals Scotland at an empty Twickenham.
Spectators instead watched from their homes this evening as Scotland took first blood in southwest London and crossed the hour mark of the annual Calcutta Cup clash defending a slim 11-6 lead.
Duhan van der Merwe crashed over the whitewash for the first try of the game before England captain Owen Farrell slotted two penalties to close the gap.
Ahead of kick-off, the players lined up in support of the Rugby Against Racism campaign. The majority of England players took the knee, while the majority of Scots remained standing.
The fixture between England and Scotland has traditionally been a fiery clash, with fraying tempers leading to dust-ups in the past.
But the absence of Twickenham’s 80,000-strong crowd sucked the typically lively atmosphere from the ground.
The Six Nations kicked off with no fans today with England taking on Scotland in the Calcutta Cup at an empty Twickenham stadium
Scotland’s lock Jonny Gray (L) and England’s lock Maro Itoje compete in the line out during the Six Nations rugby union match between England and Scotland at Twickenham Stadium today
Players of England take takes a knee in support of the ‘Rugby Against Racism’ campaign prior to the Guinness Six Nations match between England and Scotland at Twickenham
Professional sport continues to be allowed to happen despite the strict third national lockdown still in force.
Last year’s tournament was abandoned ahead of the final round of matches as the pandemic started spiralling out of control. The remaining games were finally played in late 2020 and England were crowned champions.
An eerie silence descended on Twickenham today, devoid of the fans and chants of Swing Low Sweet Chariot ringing round the stadium.
But one spectator would have caught the eye of the players – Warren Gatland, head coach of the Lions, who is considering his selection picks for this year’s tournament.
Earlier France trounced Italy by a stonking 50 points to 10 at a similarly quiet contest at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Today’s England vs Scotland clash marked the 150th anniversary of the first ever rugby Test, which took place on March 27, 1871 in Edinburgh.
Prince Harry, the patron of English rugby, today commemorated the anniversary ahead of the game in a video from his Los Angeles home.
The Duke of Sussex said the ‘passion and enjoyment’ of sport can bring comfort to people in the ‘isolated’ times we live in earlier today
England and Scotland social distance during the national anthems prior to the Guinness Six Nations match at Twickenham Stadium, London
An eerie silence descended on Twickenham today, devoid of the fans and chants of Swing Low Sweet Chariot ringing round the stadium
The Duke of Sussex said the ‘passion and enjoyment’ of sport can bring comfort to people in the ‘isolated’ times we live in earlier today.
The game will mark the Harry, who was sporting a beard, appeared in a video posted on the England Rugby Twitter account on Friday night.
Dressed in a navy blazer and white shirt with the top two buttons open, Harry said: ‘Rugby union has brought joy to millions of people with teams full of great characters and special players.
‘In these isolated times, the sheer passion and enjoyment that sport offers can bring great comfort to many.
‘As proud patron of the Rugby Football Union, I join millions of supporters across the entire world in celebrating 150 years of England Rugby.’
