It was the pass that turned the defense upside down and completely twisted history.
Back in 2018, Scotland had not beaten England at home for ten years. It’s been 14 years since they scored at home against their neighbours.
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Their long-term record against England is even worse – Scotland had won just three of their previous 29 games.
International rugby’s oldest competition is showing its age. It has become tired.
Then Finn Russell passed the ball. With Scotland holding a slim four-point lead in the 31st minute of the 2018 Calcutta Cup, Russell delivered a glorious, flying, swooping torpedo pass that froze Jonathan Joseph, deceived Jonny May and unleashed Huw Jones, who gleefully threaded his way through the heart of the England defence.
A few stages later, Sean Maitland was in his corner, belief burning that a new era had arrived.
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Scotland won 25-13 that day. Since then, England have entered the final stages of this competition. They have tasted victory twice in their last eight meetings.
What was once an annual gift has now become a brutal benchmark that England are constantly trying to reach.
So once the Six Nations schedule is announced, Saturday’s trip to Murrayfield looks like a crucial point that could make or break England’s title aspirations.
This is an English team on the upswing who are too excited about the future to think long term about the past.
They bounced back north with a 12-game winning streak and emerging depth.
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Not long ago, England was chronically short of centre-forwards. Now, they can withdraw Ollie Lawrence, a player who was etched into every Steve Borthwick team-sheet, out of his 23rd game back from injury without much comment.
Joe Heyes has become such a quality defensive backbone that the injury to Will Stuart, who made similar progress last season, has been overlooked.
Wing Tom Curry, a staple in big games, was on the bench.
Options abound. Momentum is gathering quickly. But quietly, there are doubts that only a win at Murrayfield will assuage.
Because England’s winning streak started with some winning streaks.
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Victory over France in the second round of last year’s Six Nations was achieved in part by the treacherous hand of the Gauls.
A one-point win over Scotland two weeks later would have been ruined if Russell had converted a try on the final play of the game.
After concluding the Six Nations with wins over Italy and Wales, England, who are without the 14-member British and Irish Lions squad, impressed twice by defeating Argentina in two Tests.
But the Cougars were exhausted by 12 months of demands on their star players and were not at full capacity.
Victory against New Zealand was the focus of England’s autumn, but the subsequent dismissal of Scott Robertson showed the All Blacks were not picking up their tools with their usual enthusiasm.
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England’s current schedule is built around Twickenham. Can they hit the road and break the spell Scotland has had on them in recent years?
If not, back-to-back road trips to the Stade de France in March and Ellis Park against France and South Africa in July suddenly look even more daunting.
They have some relative Test rookies in their squad. Henry Arundel’s defense has improved greatly but was barely tested against Wales last week. Tommy Freeman is learning at center, a potential opening that Sione Tuipulotu and Jones will try to exploit. Guy Pepper, who played eight times for the team, will be a target for crafty opponent Jamie Ritchie.
Elsewhere, Luke Cowan-Dickie might have faltered at the lineout and England’s substitutes didn’t quite speed off Wales as Borthwick had hoped, with the home side holding a relatively slim 19-7 lead in the second half.
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These are minor issues. Certainly compared to Scotland.
Gregor Townsend’s side were stung by a defeat to Italy that could mark the beginning of the end for the coach and a generation of star players.
But those happier, more distant memories are still present in their lineup, too.
Of the 23 players who beat England eight years ago, two have their names left: Russell, who passed the ball, and Jones, who caught the ball.
England must break its ties with the past.