Six Nations news: England vs Scotland – Steve Borthwick’s line-up and score prediction
The Six Nations returns this weekend, with a Calcutta Cup showdown between England and Scotland at Twickenham the pick of the games.
One of the premier fixtures of the tournament and a match-up with genuine history, it is a clash both fanbases circle on their calendars every year.
And while England can boast historical supremacy, the Scottish have kept a hold of the bragging rights, not to mention the Calcutta Cup trophy itself, for the last four years.
Sports News Blitz rugby writer Jacob Garrett previews the action and offers a score prediction.
Contrasting fortunes for Calcutta Cup rivals
Both teams enter the match off the back of massive results but for different reasons.
Steve Borthwick’s men secured one of the biggest wins of his tenure so far last time out, beating tournament favourites France thanks to a last-gasp converted try.
After he was widely criticised for England’s inability to get over the line during the Autumn Internationals, the victory was the perfect riposte from Borthwick.
On the flip side, you have Scotland, beaten all ends up by a Farrell-less Ireland on the last matchday.
The Irish never truly got out of second gear and did not have to as starlet Sam Prendergast picked apart a poor Scottish outfit.
In the end, a scoreline of 32-18 did not really reflect the on-field action in Edinburgh, with Gregor Townsend’s side never so much as firing a shot in anger.
Now, after a week off, it remains to be seen if the Scots will be up for a fight come Saturday.
And with Borthwick naming his team early as usual, there is plenty to dive into around how this game may unfold.
READ MORE: Six Nations 2025 news: What we have learnt about each team after two rounds
Set-piece issues against France
Borthwick’s back-row selection for the France game – the excellent Tom Willis alongside Ben Earl at 7 and Tom Curry at 6 – created a dynamic long desired by a lot of England fans.
The balance looked much-improved as a result, especially with ball in hand, as carrying responsibilities were shared between the Sarries duo of Willis and Earl.
Despite Willis not playing his typical Premiership game full of stomping half-pitch runs, the 8 was quality, constantly getting over the gain line and generating quick ball for the dangerous backline.
The set-up also helped the performance of Curry, who probably had his best match in a white shirt post–Eddie Jones, one that included a glorious rip from the hands of the mercurial Antoine Dupont.
He was all over the grass, popping up in every breakdown and every confrontation.
Yet, although the trio were quality around the park, their selection did pose some questions in terms of the dysfunctional lineout.
Set pieces have always been massive weapons for England. Who could forget that it was a launch off of a lineout that was key to the semi-final win over New Zealand at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Against the French, however, the lineout felt fairly blunt as a weapon for the majority of the Test.
Looking at the stats, England only managed a worryingly poor 71.3% lineout win rate off their own throw-ins in comparison to the French not losing a single one.
It is clearly an issue for Borthwick – a lineout master in his playing days – to work on because, without a functioning lineout, the ability to launch and create momentum is lost.
Thankfully, veteran and vice-captain Jamie George came off the bench to rectify the lineout problems against France by seemingly having the ball on a string at times.
The introduction of Leicester’s Ollie Chessum, who plucked the ball at the all-important final lineout under huge French pressure, further helped ease England’s lineout woes.
Borthwick has now shifted Chessum to the starting XV for Scotland so as to allow for the continued use of a dynamic and well-balanced back row.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Six Nations news: Five candidates to replace Warren Gatland as Wales head coach
Battle of the Smiths
The biggest talking point coming into this game concerns the debate around Marcus and Fin Smith.
After cameoing the 10 and 15 dynamic during the latter stages of a few games, Borthwick made the brave choice of starting with the duo against France.
That selection proved a success, with the Northampton star winning Player of the Match on his first start in the white strip.
His capacity to bring players onto the ball at pace and hold off defenders with his (soon-to-be) signature ‘double pump’ is second to none.
The Saints star also has that rare ability where he looks to have double the time on the ball.
Fin thus allows the structure of England to flow more clearly than Marcus, who generally creates chances through his personal talent and ability.
He linked up brilliantly with Saints teammate Alex Mitchell and created a screamer of a try for Tommy Freeman to boot.
On the other hand, the Harlequins half of the duo was his typical sparkling self.
Due to the French kicking structure, the 26-year-old was given the space to counter and find areas to exploit, leading to two line breaks and several defenders being beaten.
Under Fabien Galthie, France have notoriously sought to go long in order to generate extended kicking battles wherein the likes of Thomas Ramos and Romain Ntamack can shine with their kicking prowess.
This, in turn, leads to territorial gains and swift exploitation of loose opposition kicks.
Looking at this year’s Six Nations, the team in blue have kicked long 25 times, which is more than double compared to England’s next opponents.
Due to those French long kicks, the ever-dangerous Marcus had the time and space to do what he does best in the 26-25 victory.
The dynamic of two Smiths worked perfectly against France, but the question is how well would such a duo fare against the unpredictable Scots.
It is worth noting that Scotland star Finn Russell seems to have come through a nasty collision with teammate Darcy Graham and the resulting HIA to be available to start against England.
Within the fly-half’s armoury of weapons, his kicking creativity is particularly notable.
Furthermore, alongside Russell, half-back partner Ben White has become one of the best-kicking 9s in the competition, often focused on short tactical kicks.
So far in the Six Nations, Scotland’s kicks have been 73.6% of this type in an effort to isolate and challenge the opposition back three, applying pressure through the kick-chases of Duhan van der Merwe and Toulouse star Blair Kinghorn.
With those two giants as chasers, Marcus will have a massive challenge on his hands at 15.
READ NEXT: British & Irish Lions news: Andy Farrell should leave Finn Russell at home, claims Nick Mallett
Bench impact
While the Autumn Internationals saw games taken away from England in the last quarter, that was not the case against France where the bench impact was both brilliant and successful.
Fin Baxter – It was a mixed start for the Harlequin, who was at fault for a penalty at scrum time. The young man did manage to put that behind him and subsequently had a solid performance, which was topped off by a well-taken try to begin the English resurgence.
Jamie George – After facing some real adversity in the form of injury and being stripped of the captaincy, the ever-present George did what he does best off the bench. He hit his lineouts, offered tidy work in the loose areas, and led from the front. Despite that excellent cameo, he remains on the bench for Scotland, providing a valuable well of experience from there.
Ollie Chessum – A player of real quality, the Tigers man has had some setbacks with injuries but constantly returns as if he was never gone. The lock is a constant carrying threat and has great lineout prowess. Borthwick clearly values Chessum as he comes into the line-up for the quiet George Martin.
Elliot Daly – The Saracens veteran turned up when it mattered most, his beautifully disguised line against France showing all the knowledge of his 70 caps. With Borthwick continuing a 6/2 split, it is important to have versatility on the bench and Daly covers both wings at 23.
WOMEN’S RUGBY NEWS: Welsh Rugby announce Belinda Moore as first-ever head of women’s rugby
Squad review and score prediction
Borthwick only makes one change to the matchday 23 as Martin is replaced by Ollie Chessum in a straight swap at 5.
This is a brave choice by the coach, with Scotland sure to the various elements of a new-look England team.
It is moreover vital that the squad show that the result against France was not a one-off but the new standard.
Maro Itoje’s flourishing captaincy will also be tested against England’s biggest rivals.
These games are always highly contestable, and I believe that England will need to be at their best for the full 80 minutes to secure the win.
In the hosts’ favour, they are playing at home and arrive off the back of a massive win.
With the ever-brilliant Darcy Graham likely to be out for Scotland and Sione Tuipulotu still on the sidelines, I would argue that this is the best chance in a long while for England to regain the Calcutta Cup.
Score prediction: England 32-18 Scotland
YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN: Six Nations news: Six bold predictions for the 2025 Six Nations
