By Tadhg Peavoy
Email: Tadhg.Peavoy@rte.ie
England versus Scotland represents the very essence of age-old rugby rivalry, with both sides having met 129 times since 1871, when a 20-a-side game was played between the nations at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh. That first home-nations clash was the first ever rugby union international.
Jump forward 141 years and England have established themselves as the big dog in these clashes, with 69 wins to Scotland’s 42 - 18 matches have been drawn. Those victory statistics highlight the red rose’s ability over the years to overgrow and strangle the thistle – often with brawn, rather than brain, the adopted method.
In recent clashes that dominance has never been more in evidence: of the last 15 meeings between the two British nations, England have won 11, Scotland three, with the other game a 15-15 draw in Murrayfield in 2010.
However, what will give Andy Robinson’s men renewed hope is that all three Scottish victories since 1998 have come at Murrayfield. Indeed, one only has to read the testaments of Englishmen who have played in the Edinburgh venue to understand the cauldron that the stadium represents when the sides clash for the Calcutta Cup.
Scotland head coach Andy Robinson will be hoping his team can gain revenge for a 16-12 defeat to England in the pool stages of the 2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 edition of the contest sees both sides come in with polar-opposite regimes. Hosts Scotland are a settled team. Robinson has been in charge of the Scots since 2009 and has established himself as a respected coach who can get the best out of limited players. This is the key requirement for a Scottish coach at present, as the domestic game continues to fail to produce a level of player that has the flair and creativity to trouble the world’s top-five teams.
England are in a state of flux. Following their RBS 6 Nations Championship success in 2011, hopes were high that the red rose would secure a second RWC crown in New Zealand last October. Instead, the world witnessed the public meltdown of their squad, with dwarf-throwing, ferry jumping and alleged sexual harassment allegations all surfacing against the team.
After a whimpering quarter-final exit at the hands of France, head coach Martin Johnson was deposed in favour of the previously unheralded Stuart Lancaster. It is the former schoolteacher’s task to unify a squabbling squad and establish a gameplan that will outcreate rather than simply attempt to outbash England’s opponents.
England head coach Stuart Lancaster has advocated a policy of creativity in the centre from his England team
The problem for both sides is that the nuanced talent to create holes from clever interplay passing and footwork has been missing over the last number of seasons. Both teams have generally resorted to route one offloading; a solid, well-drilled defence can negate such tactics and in fact win penalties themselves at the breakdown, if discipline is well enforced.
Scotland’s approach at the RWC 2011 was an attempt to play expansive rugby, but the player base wasn’t quite skilled enough to transform tactical plays into tries. Robinson has handed a first international start to Edinburgh winger Lee Jones on Saturday and has moved his club-mate David Denton from lock to the back row, alongside Ross Rennie and Al Strokosch.
The Scottish front five is strong, with Jim Hamilton, Richie Gray, Euan Murray, captain Ross Ford and Allan Jacobsen forming a formidable quintet; they should hold their own against England.
Scotland lock Richie Gray has been drawing praise from all quarters for his bullocking performances in the engine room
Outside the pack, Chris Cusiter’s role cannot be underestimated, the diminutive scrum-half is A1 and the Scots are a different team with him starting. It is outside the nine channel that Scotland have struggled in recent times. Dan Parks’ inclusion at ten, signals the intent to play for territory, strangle the English of possession and arm-wrestle them into submission.
Joe Ansbro is out injured in the centre and with him goes Scotland’s most hard to predict running talent. The Lamont brothers of Rory and Sean will shoulder the responsibility of attacking threat in Ansbro’s absence. But, whether they will get enough possession - or support - to make dividends is debatable.
Lancaster has brought in three uncapped players into the England starting team. Northampton back row Phil Dowson starts at number eight, while Saracens centres Brad Barritt and Owen Farrell fill the 12-13 axis. Previous centre incumbent Toby Flood is out injured. A further Saracens player, Mouritz Botha, comes in for his second cap in the second row. The Saracens revival in the white jersey is continued with winger David Strettle back in the side for the first time since facing New Zealand in June 2008.
Much is expected of centre Owen Farrell, whose father Andy was capped eight times for England
With only six players remaining from the RWC quarter-final defeat to France, this is very much a new England. The bench is jam-packed with inexperience as five uncapped players will don the tracksuits: Ben Morgan (Scarlets), Rob Webber (Wasps), Geoff Parling (Leicester), Lee Dickson (Northampton) and Jordan Turner-Hall (Harlequins).
England’s strength remains their back three, where Ben Foden and Chris Ashton are rightly regarded as devious threats in attack. The sniping of Youngs at scrum-half adds to the red rose’s potency.
The unknown quantity of the new centre pairing and how well they slot into the team, and work with outhalf and creator-in-chief Charlie Hodgson, is key to England.
Lancaster has spoken of changing the team’s style, transferring it from boxing to ballet. If he can do that, a big if, then England will be very dangerous.
Prediction: Scotland 14-19 England
Scotland v England, RBS 6 Nations, Murrayfield, Edinburgh, Saturday 4 February, kick-off 5pm:
Scotland: 15 Rory Lamont 14 Lee Jones 13 Nick De Luca 12 Sean Lamont 11 Max Evans 10 Dan Parks 9 Chris Cusiter 1 Allan Jacobsen 2 Ross Ford (captain) 3 Euan Murray 4Richie Gray 5 Jim Hamilton 6 Alasdair Strokosch 7 Ross Rennie 8 David Denton.
Replacements:16-Scott Lawson, 17-Geoff Cross, 18-Alastair Kellock, 19-John Barclay, 20-Mike Blair, 21-Greig Laidlaw, 22-Graeme Morrison.
England: 15 Ben Foden 14 Chris Ashton 13 Brad Barritt 12 Owen Farrell 11 David Strettle 10 Charlie Hodgson 9 Ben Youngs 1 Alex Corbisiero 2 Dylan Hartley 3 Dan Cole 4 Mouritz Botha 5 Tom Palmer 6 Tom Croft 7 Chris Robshaw (captain) 8 Phil Dowson.
Replacements: 16 Rob Webber 17 Matt Stevens 18 Geoff Parling 19 Ben Morgan 20 Lee Dickson 21 Jordan Turner-Hall 22 Mike Brown.
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland).
