The Northampton Saints wing has fast become a crucial cog in Steve Borthwick’s side
Scotland outscored England by three tries to one but for the first time in five years failed to lift the Calcutta Cup after a 16-15 defeat. England’s sole try-scorer? Tommy Freeman. He’s scored better tries but his all-round ability is a key part of England’s kick-and-compete gameplan and his work in defence has also come to the fore in the first three rounds of the championship.
The Northampton Saints wing used his physical prowess to burst between Finn Russell and Tom Jordan to dot down – even the arrival of some extra muscle in Scotland prop Pierre Schoeman wasn’t enough to stop him scoring. It was just as well for England, who needed to hit back after Ben White’s stunning opener hushed Allianz Stadium.
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The Smith-Smith axis has led the England narrative in recent weeks and Borthwick’s faith in Marcus at full-back might have lots to do with Freeman’s aerial ability outside him. At 6ft 2in, Freeman is a threat in the air both in attack and defence.
He started off the game against Scotland by taking a stunning catch from a box-kick before going on to score his try after ten minutes. As France found out to their detriment, he has the knack of arriving onto attacking kicks at precisely the right moment and with plenty of power behind him, he’s difficult to stop.
🌹 ENGLAND RESPOND!
Tommy Freeman crashes over to cancel out Scotland’s early opener 💪#GuinnessM6N | #ENGvSCO pic.twitter.com/yx3PHKcRQl
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) February 22, 2025
Ollie Sleightholme did not have his best game and looked a lot more vulnerable under the high ball so it wasn’t a great surprise when Borthwick introduced Elliot Daly just five minutes into the second-half. Marcus Smith’s height also leaves him vulnerable to opponents tapping the ball back or getting in his space – now that the new laws have granted chasing players great access to the ball.
With Borthwick choosing not to utilise Freddie Steward and with George Furbank injured, Freeman is the best high-ball exponent in England’s back-three. He has experience wearing No 15 at domestic level and also has spent large chunks of his Northampton career in the outside centre channel, something that seems to have aided his defence no end.
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The width Scotland put on the ball, and admittedly they had more of it particularly in the first 40, was one of the major differences between the attacking styles of the two teams. Fin Smith clearly had instructions to put boot to ball, with increasingly loud groans in the crowd showing what they thought of the tactic as the game drew to a close.
Scotland moved the ball well and Player of the Match Duhan van der Merwe seemed to find himself in space all too regularly for England’s liking. Freeman was one of the few to be able to stop him in his tracks effectively, making a good low tackle on him before drifting onto Jamie Ritchie early in the second half.
Kick-chase is a non-negotiable in a Steve Borthwick team and Freeman’s work-rate was on full display when he managed to scrag van der Merwe inside his own 22 after an Alex Mitchell box-kick. He made a similarly impressive hit on an onrushing Kyle Rowe in the first half when the wing looked like he might’ve avoided his grasp.
3 – Tommy Freeman has now scored a try in each of the first three rounds of this year’s @SixNationsRugby, just the third England player to do so in the current iteration of the Championship, after Will Greenwood in 2001 and Ben Cohen in 2002. Prolific.
— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) February 22, 2025
Freeman’s defensive reads were also spot-on, one standout came when he chose to rush-up on Rowe in the second half and managed to shutdown the attack with another Scotland attacker outside him free.
As Northampton’s social media coverage of the new Rugby 25 player cards revealed, Freeman’s kicking is not seen as a strong point by his peers (Fin Smith), but in a team with two fly-halves he’s not needed and more than makes up for it elsewhere.
His versatility across the back-three and at 13 and impressive championship so far – he’s scored a try in each game, the third Englishman to do so in the Six Nations era – means it will be hard for Andy Farrell to overlook him when it comes to selecting his British & Irish Lions squad to tour Australia this summer.
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