If England had hoped that a good run of form in the Autumn Internationals had left the nightmare of Cardiff long forgotten, they soon realised that the horror of last year’s six nations was continuing in Paris. Only the nightmare had changed; no longer were England powerless to stop the rampant opposition, instead, no matter how hard they tried, no matter how well they clawed back from the most unsettling of starts, they could not clinch the victory. Stuart Lancaster’s men will be hoping that the narrow defeat in Paris is the turning point in their fortunes, providing them with the impetus to go on and win the tournament.
There was no such narrow defeat for Scotland however. Coming close to parity in the first half against Ireland, the Scots were massively outplayed in the second half, with Ireland coming off the pitch as clear winners. With members of their own coaching team openly admitting that some elements of their play were terrible, it will take a massive turnaround for the Scots to get the victory they desire this weekend.
Nonetheless, this is Murrayfield, and the Calcutta Cup that we’re talking about. Out of the last four fixtures north of the border, Scotland have only lost one, although all have been close. There has been much talk in the media about how this game, the oldest in international rugby history, is a special, one-of-a-kind match, where the normal rules of form go out the window. Scotland, at least, will certainly be hoping that that holds true.
With a pitch already about as churned as a pig sty, destroyed by nematodes from below and horrendous weather from above, with more due on match-day, the match will probably offer little in the way of running rugby. This looks set to be a game for the big men up front. Do not expect fireworks, but instead a gruelling grind in the mud. Discipline will be essential in a game likely to be decided by kickable penalties, and sympathetic passes and plays will be vital in keeping possession.
Despite his science experiment not so much failing but just blowing up in his face in the first minutes of Paris, Stuart Lancaster has shown faith with his match-day squad, putting forth the exact same line-up for the first time in his England tenure. This can only be a good thing; Jonny May definitely deserves another run out after being forced from the field so early in Paris, whilst Jack Nowell, despite the most awful of starts one can have on debut, grew into the role immensely, with his stats showing just how big a role he played for England in defence and attack. How much opportunity the two wingers will get to show off their flair, however, will be up to the pitch and the weather.
Scott Johnson has rung the changes, dropping captain Kelly Brown from the squad altogether. Whether this will fix a pack that was badly beaten last week remains to be seen. Changes have been made to the Scottish backs as well, with Matt Scott coming in for Duncan Taylor at centre, whilst Tommy Seymour steps up in place of the injured Sean Maitland. Whilst one of these changes has been forced, one has to question whether so many changes are benefitting this Scotland side. With a world cup not so far away, and this year’s Six Nations hanging in the balance, results are desperately needed.
Prediction:
Regardless of current form, this will be a close game, most likely to be decided by the boots of Farrell and Laidlaw. Discipline will be key, as will the grunt of the forwards. England should win this, but not by more than a score.
SQUADS
Scotland: 15-Stuart Hogg, 14-Tommy Seymour, 13-Alex Dunbar, 12-Matt Scott, 11-Sean Lamont, 10-Duncan Weir, 9-Greig Laidlaw (captain); 1-Ryan Grant, 2-Ross Ford, 3-Moray Low, 4-Tim Swinson, 5-Jim Hamilton, 6-Ryan Wilson, 7-Chris Fusaro, 8- David Denton
Replacements: 16-Scott Lawson, 17-Alasdair Dickinson, 18-Geoff Cross, 19-Jonny Gray, 20-Johnnie Beattie, 21-Chris Cusiter, 22-Duncan Taylor, 23-Max Evans
England : 15-Mike Brown, 14-Jack Nowell, 13-Luther Burrell, 12-Billy Twelvetrees, 11-Jonny May, 10-Owen Farrell, 9-Danny Care;-; 1-Joe Marler. 2-Dylan Hartley, 3-Dan Cole, 4-Joe Launchbury, 5-Courtney Lawes, 6-Tom Wood, 7-Chris Robshaw (captain), 8-Billy Vunipola
Replacements: 16-Tom Youngs, 17-Mako Vunipola, 18-Henry Thomas, 19-Dave Attwood, 20-Ben Morgan, 21-Lee Dickson 22-Brad Barritt, 23-Alex Goode.
Date: Saturday, February 8
Venue: Murraryfield, Edinburgh
Kick Off: 17:00 GMT
Referee: Jérôme Garces (Fra)
Touch judges: George Clancy (Ire) & Mike Fraser (NZL)
Article by Alex Hawksworth-Brookes
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