Scotland 15 England 15: Frustrated Johnson fears team does not have the belief to win

The England manager cut a frustrated figure after his side toiled to a bore draw with Scotland in a Calcutta Cup encounter which epitomised just how poor both teams are.

The Six Nations match was intensely physical and produced a nail-biting finish, but the only hint of a try was snuffed out by a desperate tackle from prop Dan Cole on Scotland scrum-half Chris Cusiter.

England fly-half Toby Flood, who had earlier replaced the injured Jonny Wilkinson, missed two late chances to win the game, but Johnson conceded his side would not have deserved the victory.

A fortnight ago, England blew a lead against Ireland with five minutes remaining and Johnson warned his men will have to handle the pressure against France or face a hiding.

"Ireland was a game we could have won. It is a sign we haven't got the belief to nail those games," said Johnson.

"I was frustrated with some of the penalties we gave away. We gave the ball back so cheaply in the first half. We did some very good things and did some silly things.

"It added up to us not finishing off. Ultimately, it was a tale of missed chances. Floody's kick was a couple of metres short at the end; it is those small margins.

"We just need to take that next step. As a team, we have to find a way to win. We are trying to get better and trying to improve. Next week will be a step up from there.

"We have to stay with France because they try to blow you off the park in the first 20 minutes."

Scotland dominated the first half at Murrayfield, forcing England to make nearly four times as many tackles, and when there was tempo in the game it came from coach Andy Robinson's men.

The Scottish back row set the tone and Max Evans was influential in the roving brief he had been given by Robinson.

Dan Parks edged Scotland into a 9-6 half-time lead but Wilkinson equalised a minute into the second period before being forced off and replaced by Flood.

Parks kicked all Scotland's points and saw two penalties crash back off the post. Flood drew England level at 15-15 and teed up a tense finale.

England injected a sense of urgency when Johnson emptied his bench and Scotland were under pressure, but Flood saw a 50-metre penalty fall just short and his drop-goal attempt with the final play of the game was blocked.

It seems certain that Johnson will make changes for the Paris trip.

Ben Foden replaced the struggling Delon Armitage at full-back and produced another eye-catching performance, while Lewis Moody, Steve Thompson and Courtney Lawes all came on to make an impact up front.

Johnson's hand may also be forced in some positions. Ugo Monye was cleared of any major neck damage after being carried off on a stretcher, but his condition is still being monitored.

Wilkinson insisted he had not suffered concussion after taking a heavy blow to the head but Johnson will again come under pressure to make a change at fly-half.

England's back division is still misfiring and they cannot exploit Mark Cueto's excellent individual form or utilise the devastating pace of Monye and Mathew Tait.

Riki Flutey has pointed the finger firmly at England's pack and questioned how a back division is supposed to create anything when they are working with such slow ball.

Flood said: "This is a big week for us. It is paramount we turn the corner and get a result. After two wins, a tight loss and a draw it is not all doom and gloom but it is frustrating not to have picked up a win here.

"The way France have been playing makes them strong contenders to win the grand slam but we have an opportunity to make amends next weekend. A lot of frustrated guys are looking forward to that."

Scotland: Southwell, S Lamont, De Luca, Morrison, M Evans, Parks, Cusiter, Jacobsen, Ford, Murray, Hamilton, Kellock, Brown, Barclay, Beattie. Replacements: Danielli for Southwell (69), Godman for Parks (71), R Lawson for Cusiter (60), Cross for Jacobsen (71), S Lawson for Ford (65), Hines for Hamilton (51), MacDonald for Brown (55).

England: D. Armitage, Cueto, Tait, Flutey, Monye, Wilkinson, Care, Payne, Hartley, Cole, Deacon, Borthwick, Haskell, Worsley, Easter. Replacements: Foden for D. Armitage (50), Youngs for Monye (55), Flood for Wilkinson (44), Thompson for Hartley (61), Wilson for Cole (77), Lawes for Deacon (73), Moody for Haskell (61).

Referee: M Jonker (South Africa).

Scorers

Scotland – Pens: Parks 4. Drop goal: Parks. England – Pens: Wilkinson 3, Flood 2.

France defence coach Dave Ellis was delighted with his side's six-try show against Italy as Les Bleus remained on course for the Grand Slam.

Even a late fightback in which the Azzurri plundered 14 points could not detract from Ellis' satisfaction from a job well done as he savoured a 46-20 RBS 6 Nations victory at Stade de France.

"We were quite pleased with how we set up in the game but we sort of fell asleep a little bit in the last 10 minutes of the first half and it took us a while to wake up," said Englishman Ellis.

MATCH FOCUS

Hero: Danny Care

The Leeds-born player turned Harlequins star tried desperately to inject pace into the game from scrum-half even though it was difficult for him when the breakdown at Murrayfield was such a mess.

Villain: Jim Hamilton

The Swindon-born former England Under-21 lock criminally gave away penalties which ultimately cost Scotland victory and was rightly hauled off by coach Andy Robinson.

Key moment

Stoppage time: Toby Flood's

drop-goal effort to win the match for England is blocked.

Ref watch

Marius Jonker: "I thought a couple of calls went against us on a couple of occasions," said Scotland's Andy Robinson.

Verdict

Martin Johnson admitted England did not do enough to deserve victory and summed up a stop-start encounter as "a tale of missed chances".

Next game

France v England, Six Nations Championship, Saturday, 7.45pm.

Quote of the day

The team are frustrated with life, with themselves. As a collective I think we are just gutted.

– England team manager Martin Johnson.