 Scotland pushed England all the way before Paul's late try |
England needed a late score from Henry Paul to defeat a stubborn Scotland side 12-5 in their opening match of the Wellington Sevens. Alistair Warncock's try put Scotland in front before Simon Amor crossed to level the scores before half-time.
Scotland dominated possession after the break, but Paul managed the only try and Ben Gollings adding the conversion.
England had an easier time later on as they thrashed Papua New Guinea 64-0 and went on to beat Australia 19-7.
Rotherham winger David Strettle enjoyed a dream England Sevens debut as he scored five tries against Papau New Guinea.
It is the first time anyone has done that in their first Sevens game and he told the RFU website: "At the time I didn't realise I was breaking a record.
"I would have thought the record would have been higher but I am very proud to have entered the record books."
It also made Strettle England's top Sevens try scorer in a single match.
Meanwhile, Scotland put up another strong performance before falling 22-12 to Australia although they did beat Papau New Guinea 34-12 in their final group game.
The favourites also came through in the other four groups, with Fiji, South Africa and New Zealand all winning through.