For Eddie Jones, this is what you call weathering the storm.
Ugly, uninspiring, watchable only for novelty value, but a crucial win in his England tenure.
There have been more than squalls of criticism recently and Jones needed this.
When Ireland come calling for the Triple Crown in a fortnight’s time, England will have to reselect the sort of gear they were in against New Zealand in a World Cup semi-final that seems a long, long time ago.
The level of form across their opening two Six Nations matches will not be good enough against the Irish.
This is an England team and squad still trying to rediscover its mojo. But this was always going to be about getting the win, no matter how it was chiselled out.
And, thanks to Storm Ciara, it was never going to be a thing of beauty.
The only thing unmoved by the wind was Princess Anne’s barnet.
As she was introduced to the two squads pre-match, the brass band belted out a dodgy rendition of The Proclaimers’ signature tune.
No-one would have fancied walking 500 miles in this draught, never mind putting in the hard yards on a rugby field.
And when a gust caught Stuart Hogg’s start to proceedings, Jonny May’s misjudgement invited Sam Johnson’s hit.
You would have thought that would set the tone. Jones’s inflammatory style tends to save the opposition coach a team talk or two.
Ahead of the game, former captain Martin Johnson said he would have been dismayed if his coach spoke in the confrontational manner of Jones.
It puts extra pressure on the players, was his suggestion.
And the players themselves had been talking up hate and war all week.
But in truth, conditions were not amenable to hate, war and all the ‘auld enemy’ stuff.
Just keeping track of the ball flight consumed all attention.
A couple of Owen Farrell kicks were not just held up, they almost came back to land on his head.
There were a few calls for crooked throw-ins at lineouts but how you are supposed to toss it straight in a gale is anybody’s guess.
Not every one of the blizzard of mistakes could be put down to the elements, though.
This is still an England team that looks like it is suffering some after-effects from that World Cup final defeat in Tokyo.
They might well have been exposed by a team more accomplished than Scotland – and WILL be exposed by the Irish if they do not improve.
Indeed, after Adam Hastings’ levelling penalty early in the second half, defeat here looked a possibility, as England descended into a raggedness reminiscent of last week in Paris.
The post-bending wind did not help, as England kick after kick went straight into touch, but it was still sloppy.
There was also the odd flash of inspirational rugby, believe it or not, with George Furbank’s break from deep catching the eye with its rarity.
In the main, however, it was truly dreadful stuff, whatever was to blame.
And so it was entirely fitting that a mistake from Hogg led to the scrum that set the platform for the game-clinching try from Ellis Genge.
Credit to the replacement, though, for his drive and slick execution.
The relief in England ranks was palpable, especially when Farrell managed to convert a penalty that, effectively, put the game beyond the Scots’ reach.
So, on England and Jones go, back to Twickenham and the Irish challenge. Owen Farrell against his coaching dad, Andy.
And hopefully, it will be the rugby, rather than Ciara, kicking up a storm.
