England Seeks Calcutta Cup Revenge, Scotland Chase Fifth Straight Win
England Seeks Calcutta Cup Revenge, Scotland Chase Fifth Straight Win
England hosts Scotland in a crucial Six Nations and Calcutta Cup clash. Can England end its losing streak, or will Scotland continue its dominance?
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 England snatched a 26-25 win to kickstart its 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.
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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 have seen the Calcutta Cup remain north of the border since 2021.
Now, the English would love to claim it back, and they need it, particularly for Borthwick’s sake.
Team News
Borthwick largely has kept faith with the side that defeated France, with Marcus Smith continuing at fullback and Fin Smith starting at fly-half.
Alex Mitchell retains the No. 9 jersey, while Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence continue their midfield partnership. There is one change in the back three, as Ollie Sleightholme starts on the wing, joining Tommy Freeman and Smith.
Up front, Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, and Will Stuart form a powerful front row, with Maro Itoje and Ollie Chessum in the second row. The back row sees Tom Curry return to the starting XV alongside Ben Earl and No. 8 Tom Willis.
The bench features Jamie George, Fin Baxter, Joe Heyes, Ted Hill, Chandler Cunningham-South, Ben Curry, Harry Randall, and Elliot Daly.
For Scotland, Townsend has made a few changes.
Blair Kinghorn starts at fullback, with Kyle Rowe and Duhan van der Merwe on the wings. The midfield features Huw Jones and Tom Jordan, while captain Finn Russell continues at fly-half alongside scrumhalf Ben White.
The pack sees Pierre Schoeman, Dave Cherry, and Zander Fagerson in the front row. Jonny Gray and Grant Gilchrist form the second row, while the back row consists of Jamie Ritchie, co-captain Rory Darge, and Jack Dempsey at No. 8.
The bench includes Ewan Ashman, Rory Sutherland, Will Hurd, Sam Skinner, Gregor Brown, Matt Fagerson, Jamie Dobie and Stafford McDowall.
Key Matchup: Front-Row Battle
One of the key areas that will decide this contest is the battle between the two front rows.
England’s Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Will Stuart will be up against Scotland’s Pierre Schoeman, Dave Cherry and Zander Fagerson in what promises to be a bruising contest at the scrum.
England’s front row has been improving throughout the tournament, with Genge’s power, Cowan-Dickie’s mobility and Stuart’s scrummaging ability forming a solid platform.
They will be looking to apply pressure on Scotland’s set-piece, which has been a weak point in recent matches.
The Scots have struggled at scrum time, especially against Ireland and will need a vastly improved performance to avoid being overpowered.
Fagerson is Scotland’s anchor in the scrum, and his duel with Genge will be crucial. If the Scots can hold firm, it will provide Russell with a solid platform to unleash his backline. However, if England dominates the scrum, Scotland's backline will struggle to land any blows.
Stats Dive
- England is on a three-game winning streak at home in the Guinness Men’s Six Nations. The last time they enjoyed a longer run was a 15-game streak between 2012 and 2018.
- Scotland has won eight of its last 10 test matches, with the only defeats in that time coming against South Africa and Ireland. Scotland's eight victories in this run have come by an average margin of 32 points.
- England has made the most kicks in play (84) of any side in this year’s Guinness Men’s Six Nations, while Scotland has made the fewest (46).
- England has won nine turnovers from jackals at the 2025 Men’s Six Nations after two rounds, more than any other side, with Tom Curry (4) winning twice as many as any other player.
- Scotland’s record try-scorer, Duhan van der Merwe, crossed for his 15th Guinness Men’s Six Nations try in Round 2. He also became the seventh player from any side to reach 100 defenders beaten in the Championship.
- Scotland captain Rory Darge has hit more attacking rucks (65) than any other player in this year’s Six Nations. He also tops the charts for dominant tackles (six) and offloads (joint on top on five).
Prediction
Both sides come into this clash needing wins for very different reasons, starting with the home side, which, to date under Steve Borthwick, has proven to be a one-hit wonder.
Capable of beating any team on their day due to the immense talent within the squad, they have yet to truly back up big performances.
Building on last week's victory over France with a first Calcutta Cup triumph since 2020 would be a huge shot in the arm for Borthwick's charges.
Scotland, on the flip side, completed its now annual loss to Ireland in disappointing fashion, where outside of a Duhan van der Merwe try, they simply didn't fire a shot.
On a positive note, whatever hoodoo Ireland holds over Townsend's men, England does not have the same aura.
Regarded as the underdog by most bookies, Scotland will relish the removal of external expectations that appeared to stifle them in Round 2.
Unlike previous encounters, however, Townsend's side will face an England pack with a genuine punch on the bench.
To negate this, they will need to get out to a hot start before Borthwick sends on the reinforcements.
While the bookies have taken England to get back on top in this rivalry, until it happens, we are going to stick with Scotland, albeit in a very tight encounter. Scotland by 2.
Team Lineups:
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
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