Scotland’s experience to overcome the cruelty of England

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During the 151 years of this historic match, England generally dominated this game. After 139 matches, Scotland have won just 44, but the tide is turning and their fans are looking forward to this huge clash.

In the modern day game – well, since the early ’90s anyway – the red rose has dominated this rivalry, with the grotesque Scottish success piercing the English ego. It was utter despair for the Scots and their supporters as hope quickly turned to ruin with Auld Enemy usually leaving with victory.

It was until 2018 when their talented side finally beat Eddie Jones’ men – their first win over England in a decade – and sent Murrayfield out into the wild.

A year later, they had a big 38-38 draw at Twickenham, despite trailing 31-0 at one stage, but wondered if they could break that guest’s curse on that day. Scotland have not beaten their rivals since 1983 in the ‘house of rugby’, but in 2021 they finally got their wish after beating Red Rose 11-6.

This result, combined with a very modest Six Nations campaign, led to Jones reforming his squad and heading to Edinburgh with an impressive squad. There is experience there, especially in the top five, but there are plenty of new combinations that the hosts will be looking to take advantage of.

In turn, Gregor Townsend went to the tried-and-tested group, naming the team too strong, and would endeavor to subject the visiting starters to great duress. This English side doesn’t lack in talent or promise, but in Murrayfield’s cauldron – where fans rake in the blood of Jones’ men – it’s a huge test.

After years of agony, and having to face the smiling faces of England after the battles between the two countries, this is a massive chance for Townsend’s players to win their third game in five games against opponents this weekend. They should be careful because there is a lot of ability in this Red Rose outfit, but this is a clash as there are a lot of factors in their favour.

last time they met

Scotland ended 38 years of mischief as they deservedly beat Auld Enemy at Twickenham. The final score of 11-6 didn’t really do the visitors, who controlled most of the match, but it didn’t really matter to the players, coaches and fans. Townsend’s men opened the match up nicely and went 8-0 after 30 minutes thanks to a Dohan van der Merwe effort and a Finn Russell penalty. England were, quite frankly, pretty bad, but when Owen Farrell kicked two penalties before the break I wondered if the Scottish pain would continue for another two years. However, this team fared much better than the team before it as they simply reset, adding to their lead with a triple Russell pointer, and finally holding on very comfortably over the past half hour to spark jubilation on the field and in many homes around Scotland.

What did they say

England manager Jones has tried to increase the pressure on Scotland, stating that Townsend’s team are the “favourites”.

“It’s the first time I’ve experienced going up there when Scotland were a hot favourite. They are expected to win,” Jones said.

“Every time their players look at the crowd at Murrayfield, they will feel that expectation. They are favorites in red and they have to deal with that. We can’t wait to get there. And best of all, we’ll be playing in Scottish weather.

“This is a special match, the Calcutta Cup. It’s been going on for 151 years. It means a lot to both countries and this is the first time I’ve gone there as the underdog.

“There will be 67,000 fans and they will think of all the fans watching the match on BBC. They have to carry that burden. Every match for us is the same – we are expected to win, so it is no different for us.”

It’s an idea rejected by Townsend, the president of Scotland, who pointed out the bookie odds that make England a little favourite.

The Scotland head coach said: “Every coach does that little song and dance as they go into a match trying to convince the media that they are underdogs and tell the players they have their backs against the wall, ‘We’re going to this hostile place.’ With them.

“It’s not really something we talk about or worry about. The reason we talk about it like that is because our players have led the standards in training and had experiences – not always fun – that made them better and brought them closer together as a group.

“We have our own expectations, which is to make performances that we can do. In the Six Nations Championship last year, we had three games where we were close to our best: England, Italy and France. The goal for us is to try to do that in five matches.”

players to watch

There are a few surprises in Team Scotland but there are some exciting calls that may or may not backfire. One is on the wing, with the talented Darcy Graham taking his place alongside Stewart Hogg and Dohan van der Merwe in the center defence. Graham is a great runner and has enjoyed his matches against England previously, but with the weather forecast not being particularly great, his aerial skills will be called into question.

It looks as if the Red Roses have chosen a leather kickball team to challenge Graham and van der Merwe – who both battled for the Lions in South Africa – through penalty kicks and “rise and fall”. If wet, it’s a risky choice from Townsend, especially with Englishman Joe Marchant, Max Malins and Freddie Steward famous for their aerial skills.

The rest of the backline is effectively picking themselves up but they are hoping to get a good ball from their group. George Turner plays a big role, both on the squad and on staff, but in form he is the best among a very talented group at the moment, with backups Stuart McKinally and Ewan Ashman playing well too. Meanwhile, Matt Fagerson is eighth and has a lot of responsibility, especially since the Scottish group is not as strong or dynamic in this area compared to France, England and Ireland.

Fagerson will face Sam Symonds, who has passed the Alex Dumbrandt challenge to start playing at Murrayfield. With Sam Underhill not selected in the initial 36-man squad, it seemed likely that Jones would pick the “natural” number eight and Symonds would be that man for Saturday’s game. Many have called for the Exeter player to be included after he has consistently impressed chiefs, so there is a lot of pressure on him to step up.

With Simmonds in eighth, it means Tom Curry is moving into his preferred position at the opening, while also taking on the responsibility of being the captain. With Owen Farrell and Courtney Luz absent, Curry has a huge job on his hands, both in terms of his performance and his leadership on the field.

Speaking of Farrell, Henry Slade has been moved into his position as the second playmaker and will look to help Marcus Smith steer the team across the field. His kick will be significant as England look to get Marchant and Mallins into the game. These two might not get much ball on hand if the weather is wet, but, as mentioned earlier, their aerial skills will be invaluable on Saturday.

face to face

Where else than the duel between Finn Russell and Marcus Smith? Both players were not criminally used during last year’s Lions series but Russell was particularly tricky. When he actually had the chance, due to Dan Biggar’s unfortunate injury, he comfortably put on the best show by any half-fly on the tour.

Meanwhile, Smith has been called up late so his omission isn’t surprising, but you still feel he has something more to offer in that series, despite his inexperience. The Harlequins star has certainly shown why since then, putting on impressive performances during the Autumn Nations Series in victories over Tonga, Australia and South Africa.

Smith has looked great in the future for England ever since he made his club debut at the age of 18, and we can’t wait for his battle with Russell. They are both creative in attack, play with that ease and time on the ball, and can also threaten the line with a running game. The Englishman has a little better footwork while the Scotsman is a bit stronger and could use that to throw off loads out of the way, but there isn’t much to choose from.

The difference may come in kicking them. It’s something that has gotten a little easier for Smith, who is reliable off a tee and naturally more talented when it comes to understanding the game and making a decision, but Russell has worked hard in that aspect. They both represent the two halves of the complete fly and their battle will be decisive this weekend.

prediction

While England have a naturally talented squad, Scotland are not far from them and they have continuity and experience on their side. Although the gullibility of young players has its benefits in this type of game – they sometimes seem unencumbered – the Red Roses have not played together in a big game. It’s a new squad with new combinations against a powerful combat outfit. They also have some major injuries, and while we think Jones’ men will keep them close to the scoreboard, the hosts should have had enough to win. Scotland by six points.

Previous results

2021: Scotland won 11-6 in London 2020: England won 13-6 in Edinburgh 2019: England and Scotland tied 38-38 in London, 2018: Scotland won 25-13 in Edinburgh 2017: England won 61-21 in London 2016: England won 15-9 in Edinburgh 2015: England won 25-13 in London 2014: England won 20-0 in Edinburgh

the difference:

Scotland: 15 Stewart Hogg (c), 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Sam Johnson, 11 Dohan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ali Price, 8 Matt Fagerson, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Jimmy Ritchie, 5 Grant Gilchrist , 4 Johnny Gray, 3 Xander Fagerson, 2 George Turner, 1 Rory Sutherland Substitutions: 16 Stewart McKinally, 17 Pierre Schumann, 18 WB Neal, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Magnus Bradbury, 21 Ben White, 22 Blair Kinghorn, 23 Sion Tuipuloto

England: 15 Freddy Steward, 14 Max Mallins, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Joe Marchant, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Sam Symonds, 7 Tom Curry (c), 6 Louis Ludlam, 5 Nick Ezekwe, 4 Maru Etoge, 3 Kyle Sinclair, 2 Luke Kwan-Dickey, 1 Ellis Gengy Substitutions: 16 Jimmy George, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Will Stewart, 19 Charlie Ewells, 20 Alex Dumbrandt, 21 Harry Randall, 22 George Ford, 23 Jack Noel

Date: Saturday, February 5 Venue: PT Murrayfield Start: 16:45 GMT Referee: Ben O’Keefe (New Zealand) Assistant Referees: Nick Perry (Australia), Craig Evans (Wales) TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

READ MORE: The head-to-head player to watch out for in this year’s Six Nations Championship

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