England v Scotland preview: Calcutta Cup ’embarrassment’ to finally end for Steve Borthwick’s side as Fin gets the better of Finn
Fin Smith and Finn Russell face off in England v Scotland.
A victory over France may have eased the pressure slightly for England head coach Steve Borthwick, but it will be back on this weekend against Scotland.
The thrills followed the French spills as the Red Rose snatched a 26-25 win to kickstart their Six Nations campaign and bring some positivity back to English rugby heading into the third round.
That goodwill could be short-lived, however, should the Scots come and crash the Twickenham party, as they have done so many times in recent years. Not since 2017 have they tasted defeat at the ‘home of rugby’, with a draw and two wins following a 61-21 thumping by the Eddie Jones-coached team.
Remarkably, that triumph, followed by the dramatic 38-38 draw two years later, extended England’s unbeaten home run against Scotland to 38 years, but since then it has all been about Gregor Townsend’s men.
Four consecutive wins over the Auld Enemy has seen the Calcutta Cup remain north of the border since 2021. How England would love to claim it back and how they need it, particularly for Borthwick’s sake.
Having finally ended that run of gallant losses with their success over Les Bleus – their biggest result since overcoming Ireland in March last year – the challenge is to now find some consistency.
The hosts arguably don’t have a better chance as they take on a Scotland outfit shorn of one of Europe’s best in Sione Tuipulotu and the dazzling wing Darcy Graham, but there is still the rather sizeable shape of Duhan van der Merwe lurking, who has been their tormentor-in-chief in recent Six Nations clashes.
Where the game will be won
There are a number of fascinating areas to watch in this encounter, starting with how England’s defence can deal with the magician Finn Russell. Like a lot of Scottish players, he steps up another level when the white shirts are opposite him and, when the fly-half is on form, they tend to create try-scoring opportunities. His kicking game will also be vital as they seek to force mistakes from Marcus Smith, who is still inexperienced in the full-back position.
If Scotland can find front foot ball, they will duly wreak havoc against a rearguard which is still rather flaky. While it was better in the second round, France still had a number of opportunities, only to fluff their lines when the whitewash beckoned. However, one thing Les Bleus do have that the Scots don’t is immense power, which stretched that English defence, and the loss of Tuipulotu has only increased their issues in that department.
There are other ways to create space, though, as was shown last year when England continually turned the ball over, leading to counter-attacking chances which Van der Merwe took advantage of. Scotland can also cause problems at the breakdown, something they have done successfully against the Red Rose in the past, with their back-row often being a nuisance, but the visitors do need a huge improvement from their Ireland performance.
Townsend’s men were unlucky to lose both Russell and Graham but, even before that unfortunate collision, they were struggling with the pace, physicality and intensity of the Irish. Their scrum, which was also a weakness against Italy, was regularly sent into reverse and it is a facet we think England will target this weekend.
The Red Rose are an odd team to describe as, to some extent, they don’t have a definitive style. Borthwick very much adapts his tactics to the opposition they face, more so than any other head coach, but with a pack that is improving and the two Smiths once again in tandem, there is no doubt that they can create opportunities should they get on top in the collisions and set-piece.
Last time they met
What they said
England head coach Borthwick believes that having the two Smiths, Fin and Marcus, in the same backline is a strength, but admits that it can be exploited by Russell and co.
“With Fin and Marcus, we now have two ball-players who see space in the frontline and in the backfield,” he said. “That’s going to be very important this weekend.
“Marcus is a player with incredible ability, and the opposition sometimes focuses a lot on him. Sometimes, that creates space for others, but sometimes there will be a window for him to find.
“Scotland are very smart in the way they play. Finn Russell has a very varied kicking game, so we have to be sharp and make sure that all the space is covered because he will find it.”
Meanwhile, Scotland flanker Jamie Ritchie insists that the breakdown battle and the opening 20 minutes are key in the Calcutta Cup clash this weekend.
“We had a meeting earlier on, just talking about how Ireland put a little bit of pressure on our breakdown,” Ritchie said.
“It wasn’t necessarily with a lot of steals, but in terms of the quality of the ball that we were getting. They put us under a little bit of pressure. We have to make sure we up that area because we know that England will pose probably a slightly more traditional breakdown threat with their jackals.
“And also making sure we try and get a bit of a fast start. We were a little bit slow to get going against Ireland, so we’re looking to right that one as well.”
Players to watch
After a mixed display against France, Marcus Smith will hope that more minutes in the full-back saddle will see an improvement this weekend. Some of the criticism was very harsh, however, as on reflection a lot of what the Harlequins star did set the tone for England’s performance. Despite the errors, his kicking game aided his fly-half significantly, while the 26-yeaar-old’s intent with ball in hand kept France guessing.
Elsewhere in the backline, Ollie Lawrence will hope to take advantage of a Tuipulotu-less Scotland. He was excellent against Ireland and followed that up with another good display a week later, and his physicality could cause real issues for that visiting midfield defence, especially with Tom Jordan having little experience in the 12 shirt.
Jordan is a fly-half by trade but he comes into the midfield to offer Townsend another playmaking option, alongside Russell and Blair Kinghorn. Despite being slighter, he is strong in contact, so his ability to carry or tackle shouldn’t be a question, but it is whether he can strike up a good partnership with Russell and Huw Jones on both sides of the ball.
If they can find that balance, especially in attack, then Duhan van der Merwe could have another influential day against England. The South African-born wing has always enjoyed himself against the Red Rose and scored a stunning hat-trick in last year’s Calcutta Cup encounter. He will hope to do that again, but his task will be made slightly more difficult if the playmakers fail to fire or his pack does not deliver.
It is a big game for Jamie Ritchie, another player that tends to shine when facing the Auld Enemy, and the flanker’s nuisance value at the breakdown, as well as his lineout work, will be invaluable, especially if the front five struggle. The scrum has not been a strength for England over recent years but it has certainly been a weakness for Scotland in this tournament and the improving trio of Will Stuart, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Ellis Genge will target that area.
Main head-to-head
Fin v Finn, apprentice versus the master, it is shaping up to be a fascinating duel between these two incredibly talented players as Smith goes head-to-head with Russell. The England fly-half made his first Test start against France and impressed, particularly in the second period, as his side edged to victory. The next challenge will be to back it up when he faces the Scottish maverick, who has dominated this fixture on several occasions.
His display in the final 40 minutes of the 2019 draw has gone down in folklore while he has also been hugely influential in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 victories. Russell has recovered from a nasty collision with Graham in the Ireland encounter and his performance could once again determine the outcome of the match. Under pressure, the Scottish pivot can make errors but, if given time and space, he can cut England to shreds.
Prediction
It can’t be five in a row, can it? Scotland will certainly hope so, but this weekend we think Borthwick’s side will halt their barren streak against their old rivals. With a couple of key players missing and that front five a concern, Townsend’s team will find it difficult to maintain their winning run. As ex-flanker Courtney Lawes wrote, this recent Calcutta Cup run has been ’embarrassing’ for the Red Rose and it is about time they ended it. England by nine points.
Previous results
2024: Scotland won 30-21 in Edinburgh
2023: Scotland won 29-23 in London
2022: Scotland won 20-17 in Edinburgh
2021: Scotland won 11-6 in London
2020: England won 13-6 in Edinburgh
2019: England and Scotland drew 38-38 in London
2018: Scotland won 25-13 in Edinburgh
2017: England won 61-21 in London
2016: England won 15-6 in Edinburgh
2015: England won 25-13 in London
The teams
England: 15 Marcus Smith, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Tom Willis, 7 Ben Earl, 6 Tom Curry, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ellie Genge
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Ted Hill, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South, 21 Ben Curry, 22 Harry Randall, 23 Elliot Daly
Scotland: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Kyle Rowe, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Tom Jordan, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell (cc), 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge (cc), 6 Jamie Ritchie, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Jonny Gray, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Dave Cherry, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Gregor Brown, 21 Matt Fagerson, 22 Jamie Dobie, 23 Stafford McDowall
Date: Saturday, February 22
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: 16:45 GMT
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland), Luc Ramos (France)
TMO: Tual Trainini (France)
