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England go searching for a first victory at Murrayfield since 2020 on Saturday and Steve Borthwick’s side will be delighted by the omission of their Kryptonite, Duhan van der Merwe.
The Jok-Bok has scored a quite frankly ridiculous seven tries in his last four outings against the Auld Enemy - the record for the most tries scored by a player against England in the Six Nations era - but Gregor Townsend has left out his giant wing in favour of a back three which he deems more comfortable in dealing with England’s inevitable aerial assault.
Luke Cowan-Dickie has been given the nod over Jamie George in England’s starting hooker spot and the Sale Sharks No.2 will be searching for retribution after his yellow card and penalty try cost England a 20-17 loss in 2022 in the Scottish capital.
Gregor Townsend on the brink
Scotland have dominated this fixture both home and away but the two sides enter this edition of the Calcutta Cup on polar opposite trajectories.
A shock opening round loss to Italy has also intensified pressure on Gregor Townsend, with Scotland fans booing their team in the autumn after witnessing their side throw away leads in back-to-back weeks against New Zealand and Argentina.
Scotland fans are unhappy with Townsend’s involvement in a part-time consultancy role at English Prem outfit, Newcastle Red Bulls, with the Daily Telegraph reporting that he will take over full time - most likely as a director of rugby - when his Scottish Rugby Union contract expires in 2027. Having lost the backing of his fans, though, the question begs will Townsend last until 2027? Successive defeats to start their campaign will likely leave the Scots only able to pick up one win across the competition - against Wales - given they face free-scoring France and Ireland away. That won’t cut the mustard, so Saturday is must win for Townsend.
Rampaging England on a roll
England entered the reverse fixture last year following a last minute win against France, which kickstarted their ongoing 12-match win streak. The Red Rose looked one dimensional and were fortunate to win against Les Bleus and Scotland, with Finn Russell’s missed kicks saving their bacon at Twickenham, a week after France’s electrifying outside backs couldn’t seem to catch a cold at HQ, despite being handed run-ins on a plate.
However, those two lucky escapes laid the platform for Borthwick’s side to go on a rampaging run and it’s easy to forget how much scrutiny the former Leicester Tigers boss was under this time last year. Lee Blackett has helped transform England’s attack, which still relies heavily on kicks but also entails numerous devastating strike plays off set pieces, orchestrated by primary playmaker George Ford.
England will go to what has been a miserable hunting ground, desperate to end their Scottish hoodoo and extend their run to 13 in a row. If they don’t perform it’ll be a serious case of Deja Vu, frustrating for both sides, considering the home side’s inability to replicate their performances against their fiercest rivals in other more winnable (on paper) fixtures.
Scotland Starting XV (1-15) Nathan McBeth, George Turner, Zander Fagerson, Gregor Brown, Scott Cummings, Jamie Ritchie, Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey, Ben White, Finn Russell, Jamie Dobie, Sione Tuipulotu, Huw Jones, Kyle Steyn, Tom Jordan
Scotland Replacements (16-23) Dave Cherry, Pierre Schoeman, Elliot Millar-Mills, Max Williamson, Matt Fagerson, George Horne, Adam Hastings, Darcy Graham
England Starting XV (1-15) Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Joe Heyes, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Guy Pepper, Sam Underhill, Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell, George Ford, Henry Arundell, Fraser Dingwall, Tommy Freeman, Tom Roebuck, Freddie Steward
England Replacements (16-23) Jamie George, Bevan Rodd, Trevor Davison, Alex Coles, Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Ben Spencer, Fin Smith
