Preview: Scotland v England
Preview, stats and facts ahead of England's Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland on Saturday.
England start their Guinness Six Nations campaign at Murrayfield, in what will be the 140th Test match against the Scots. England have claimed 76 wins to Scotland's 44, with 19 draws shared.
| Date | Saturday 5 February |
| Venue | Murrayfield, Edinburgh |
| Coverage | BBC 1 and Radio 5 Live |
| Kick off | 4:45pm |
Scotland beat Eddie Jones' men 11-6 in last year’s instalment, and though they haven't recorded back-to-back wins in this fixture since 1983/84, they come into the match in fine form after impressive autumn wins over Japan, Tonga and Australia.
And Jones makes them red hot favourites.
"It’s the first time I’ve gone to Murrayfield and Scotland are red hot favourites. They are expected to win," he added. "They have to cope with that expectation of 62,000 fans. They have to carry that burden. Every game is the same for us; we're expected to win, so it's no difference for us."
Tom Curry will captain the side, and in doing so will become the youngest England captain since Will Carling in 1988.
"He reminds me of a young Richie McCaw," said Jones of the Sale Sharks man. "Captaincy is about the person who can lead a group of players on the field by example and there is no better player in our squad than Tom Curry to do that."
Teams
Here's how England shape up...
Starters
15. Freddie Steward, 14. Max Malins, 13. Elliot Daly, 12. Henry Slade, 11. Joe Marchant, 10. Marcus Smith, 9. Ben Youngs, 1. Ellis Genge, 2. Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3. Kyle Sinckler, 4. Maro Itoje, 5. Nick Isiekwe, 6. Lewis Ludlam, 7. Tom Curry (c), 8. Sam Simmonds.
Finishers
16. Jamie George, 17. Joe Marler, 18. Will Stuart, 19. Charlie Ewels, 20. Alex Dombrandt, 21. Harry Randall, 22. George Ford, 23. Jack Nowell.
Scotland
And the hosts...
Stats & Facts
England have won 15 of their last 18 Tests (L3), including their last five in a row, although their three defeats in that spell all came in last year’s Guinness Six Nations.
Scotland missed just 11 tackles per game on average during the 2021 Guinness Six Nations, fewer than any other side, boasting the best tackle success rate in the process (91%).
England had the best lineout success rate (95%) in the 2021 Guinness Six Nations, losing just three of 58 throws, Luke Cowan-Dickie landed 32/32 throws, the most ever by a player in an edition of the tournament not to miss a throw.
Scotland enjoyed more possession (58%) and territory (55%) than any other side in the 2021 Six Nations, while their tally of 9.8 entries into the opposition 22 per game was also the highest, although their average of 2.7 points per entry was only the fourth best.
Views from the camp
Freddie Steward:
Tom Curry: "It means a hell of a lot, you grow up wanting to play for England, so to be named as captain is pretty emotional.
"Will (Carling) has been a really good influence, we speak to him two or three times a week, so we get all his advice on how we can improve."
Luke Cowan-Dickie:
Matt Proudfoot: "Every time England plays a Test match it is an important game. A team with incredible history, incredible supporters and we as custodians of the team know that. We feel that expectation and we embrace it."
The Next Level
England will face Italy in Rome on 13 February, before welcoming Wales (26 February) and Ireland (12 March) to Twickenham. Their final game is in Paris against France on Saturday 19 March.
