The Calcutta Cup is up
for grabs at Murrayfield this weekend and both Scotland and
England will go into the match looking to get back on track
after disappointing defeats in their last RBS Six Nations
matches.
Scotland went down
16-12 in Italy and are now looking at a possible wooden
spoon, while England again failed to convert possession into
points as they lost 16-20 at home to Ireland. The world’s
oldest international fixture – dating back to 1871 – will be
a typically tribal affair as national rivalries are renewed,
but it’s unlikely to be a free-flowing feast of running
rugby as the result takes precedence over all else.
Under-pressure Toulon
and England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson is desperate to put in
a match-winning performance but he’s acutely aware of the
threat Scotland possess, and the type of game it’s likely to
be.
“We just stick our head
down and bash it against a wall to prepare for this game,”
he joked. “They have a great kicking game, great set plays
and individual brilliance. They may not have been on the
right end of the results but they have been close in every
one. A couple of bounces of the ball and we would be talking
about something different,” he added.
The always feisty
encounter has been leant an extra dimension this time by
Scotland being coached by former England boss Andy Robinson,
a man Wilkinson holds in extremely high regard. “I am a big
fan of Andy Robinson,” said the 30-year-old. “I had great
experiences under him. He creates enormous energy, he brings
confidence, he brings trust from the players and he brings
physicality mixed in with detail,” he added.
For all the media
criticism directed towards Wilkinson he still goes into
Saturday's game as the leading scorer in this year's Six
Nations - with 38 points. But England’s current coach
Martin Johnson takes his troops to Scotland knowing they
have not won at Murrayfield since 2004 and looking to avenge
their 15-9 loss there in 2008. The man who led England to
World Cup glory in 2003 - and who never lost to Scotland as
a player- is coming under increasing pressure
himself after a series of disappointing performances and
needs a convincing showing in Scotland to stave off mounting
criticism.
Johnson has made only
two changes to the side which went down at Twickenham to
Ireland, preferring to give the majority of his side the
opportunity to make amends against Scotland. Full-back Delon
Armitage has failed to recapture his excellent form of last
season and knows that he must deliver to avoid being usurped
by Northampton's emerging star Ben Foden.
"I know there's a
performance there. I'm not going to be negative and
worrying. This is about me trying to keep my shirt," he
said.
Foden admitted to being
"very disappointed" after impressing during his 30-minute
cameo against Ireland - after coming on for the injured
Armitage - and said he was determined to push the London
Irish star for his place. "If I do take the field I will
give it my best and try to run him close for the last game
in France," he added.
Louis Deacon, 29, comes
in for the injured veteran lock Simon Shaw to earn his 17th
cap, while Johnson has opted to drop former Leicester
team-mate Lewis Moody in favour of Joe Worsley at openside
flanker.
"It's a good
opportunity for me to stake a claim," said Deacon. "I have
had a couple of games off the bench so far and I played most
of the game against Ireland when Simon Shaw went off. It was
a good run-out for me and I was a bit nervous before going
out but I felt pretty fresh and pretty sharp," he added.
Deacon also had words
of encouragement for Tigers colleague Ben Youngs. The tyro
scrum-half is in line to become the 19th new cap under Johnson
if he comes off the bench. "I am really pleased for Ben, he
deserves this opportunity. His performances for Tigers are
outstanding for such a young guy. He is keeping Harry Ellis
out of the team, which says a lot," said Deacon.
Youngs, 20, is at the
forefront of a thrusting new generation of would-be England
stars, and has clearly impressed manager Johnson. "There
were eyebrows raised when Dupuy left and they didn't go for
a replacement but Leicester knew they had a good player
ready to take a shot at the place. Ben is a very instinctive
player, athletic, and although he's had a pretty fast ride
he's handled it well. He's a guy with a lot of potential and
a big future," purred Johnson.
But Youngs will start
behind in situ scrum-half Danny Care after the Harlequins No
9 was handed another opportunity to spark England's
misfiring backs. "We've shown glimpses of how good we can
be. We have just lacked a clinical edge in finishing off the
tries," he admitted. If he is to do so he will have to buck
recent history as it is six years since England last scored
a try at Murrayfield.
History may be against England but current form is not, with
Scotland still seeking their opening win of the championship
after successive defeats to France, Wales and Italy.
Scotland captain Chris Cusiter admitted his players are
"desperate to go out there and make amends" and that playing
at home against the auld enemy was "as big as it gets".
This will be the 127th meeting
between the two sides with England leading the aggregate by 67
wins to 42. There have also been a world record 17 draws.
Scotland - who have won
only one of their last nine Six Nations matches - have been
praised for their overall game so far in this tournament,
but coach Robinson pointed out that "you don't get points
for how you play, you get points for winning games".
Most of those points
have come via the boot of fly-half Dan Parks this season,
with the Glasgow player set to feature heavily again on
Saturday when he wins his 50th cap. So far Scotland have
managed just two tries in their three matches, so the
reliance on Parks looks set to continue at Murrayfield.
The off-field build up
this week has featured the usual talk of border rivalries
and Braveheart, but Scotland coach Robinson also introduced
a novel aspect when he urged South African referee Marius
Jonker to watch out for England's American football style
tactics. Johnson, an avid gridiron fan, dismissed the claims
about dummy runners and blockers, while captain Steve
Borthwick was equally non-plussed by Robinson's snipe.
Jonker should be
familiar with the two sides having refereed the
corresponding fixture at Twickenham last year, while
Borthwick insisted England "train within the laws of the
game and play within the laws of the game".
England should be more
wary of Scotland's potentially match-winning "Killer Bs"
back row consisting of John Barclay, Johnnie Beattie and
Kelly Brown. All three play for Glasgow and have begun to
earn deserved plaudits for their destructive work as a unit.
To that end England have strengthened their own defence by
including Worsley in preference to Moody.
In the end the result
is likely to turn on the outcome of two key battles -
between the respective back rows and fly-halves. If the
"Killer Bs" are allowed to swarm then England's desire for
quick ball will be nullified - and thus their attack blunted
once more. If England do get stung up front then it will
come down to Wilko's boot - and with the player having
copped so much unwarranted flak of late the scene would
appear perfectly set for the Red Rose golden boy to flourish
once more.
Scotland starting XV:
Hugo Southwell (Stade Francais), Sean Lamont (Scarlets), Nick de Luca
(Edinburgh), Graeme Morrison (Glasgow),
Max Evans (Glasgow), Dan Parks (Glasgow), Chris Cusiter (capt,
Glasgow), Johnnie Beattie Glasgow),
John Barclay (Glasgow), Kelly Brown (Glasgow), Alastair Kellock
(Glasgow), Jim Hamilton (Edinburgh),
Euan Murray (Northampton Saints), Ross Ford (Edinburgh), Allan Jacobsen
(Edinburgh)
Replacements: Scott Lawson (Gloucester), Geoff Cross
(Edinburgh), Nathan
Hines (Leinster), Alan MacDonald (Edinburgh), Rory Lawson
(Gloucester), Phil Godman (Edinburgh), Simon
Danielli (Ulster)
England starting XV: Delon Armitage (London Irish), Mark Cueto
(Sale Sharks),
Mathew Tait (Sale Sharks), Riki Flutey (Brive), Ugo Monye
(Harlequins), Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon), Danny
Care (Harlequins), Tim Payne (London Wasps), Dylan Hartley
(Northampton Saints), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Louis
Deacon (Leicester Tigers), Steve Borthwick (capt, Saracens), James
Haskell (Stade Francais), Joe Worsley (London Wasps), Nick Easter
(Harlequins)
Replacements: Steve Thompson (Brive), David Wilson
(Bath), Courtney
Lawes (Northampton Saints), Lewis Moody (Leicester Tigers), Ben Youngs
(Leicester Tigers), Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers), Ben Foden
(Northampton Saints)
** Stade Francais and
England flanker James Haskell, meanwhile, has tried
to play down the club versus country row that erupted last
week when the RFU refused to release the player for Top 14
action.
The 24-year-old
released a statement insisting his contract allowed him to
stay with the England squad despite the fact there was no
international fixture – something that prompted Stade owner
Max Guazzini to accuse the RFU of holding the player
hostage.
“The situation resolved
for me as soon as this week started,” said Haskell. “I have
a massive challenge against Scotland and as a professional
you can’t let anything interfere with that.
“There was always going
to be some question because this is the first Six Nations I
have been involved in since going over to France. It was
difficult to know what to expect. I can’t go into details of
my contract but I feel that my situation is covered. I made
sure everything in my contract is there for me to be
released for England.
“Obviously there is some ambiguity over
that and I have to go back to Stade and iron things out. But
I would be letting everyone else down if I allowed it to
creep into my mindset and Martin Johnson wouldn’t tolerate
it. As soon as I knew I was staying in England I put it out
of my mind,” he explained.
