Match Preview – Scotland vs England

Stuart Hogg and Tom Curry will captain Scotland and England respectively in Saturday’s huge Six Nations clash

We look at the major talking points ahead of Saturday’s 2022 Six Nations clash between Scotland and England at Murrayfield…

Scottish optimism at an all-time high

Since Scotland’s last championship title success in 1999 – before even the addition of Italy to form a Six Nations – there have been periods of great hope, but perhaps never the optimism that exists in 2022.

Gregor Townsend’s charges are heading into this year’s championship off the back of consecutive years in which they have beaten France – Les Bleus having played undoubtedly the best rugby in that time, but failing to land the trophies to go with performances – and having won at Twickenham for the first time since 1983 last year.

In fact, Scotland have ticked off a number of milestones on the road over the last two Six Nations campaigns. In 2020, they won in Wales for the first time since 2002, while last year their victory in Paris was their first in the French capital since 1999, to sit alongside their Twickenham exploits.

The Scots have beaten each side in the tournament over the last two years bar Ireland, who they travel to face in Dublin on the final weekend. Could they be looking at a Grand Slam attempt come Round 5?

It would take a monumental effort with each of France and England enjoying strong autumns, and Wales the defending champions. Ireland too look a side in superb form, and Scotland are on a run of seven straight losses in Dublin.

The Scottish backline is full of excitement and enterprising play, though, and – unlike in previous campaigns – filled with some five British and Irish Lions: full-back Stuart Hogg, wing Duhan van der Merwe, centre Chris Harris, fly-half Finn Russell and scrum-half Ali Price.

Scotland skipper Stuart Hogg is part of one of the most exciting backlines in the nation’s history

Add to that exciting, pacey wing Darcy Graham, and robust, hard-running centre Sam Johnson, with the likes of Blair Kinghorn and Sione Tuipulotu in reserve, and Scotland have a back division which meets nearly all requirements.

Indeed, talents like Bath and Northampton centres Cameron Redpath and Rory Hutchinson can’t even get in such is the competition for places, and nor can Saracens wing Sean Maitland.

In the forwards, there are three more Lions in loosehead Rory Sutherland, tighthead Zander Fagerson and flanker Hamish Watson – with the latter part of brilliant back-row alongside Jamie Ritchie and Matt Fagerson.

As ever with Scotland, their Achilles heel may well come down to a power game in the forwards and at scrum time – Fagerson remains a set-piece concern despite Lions recognition.

In November, they picked up a fantastic 15-13 win over Australia – the first time they have beaten the Wallabies in three consecutive Tests since 1982 – while also picking up wins vs Tonga and Japan. But, they lost heavily to South Africa 30-15 at Murrayfield – the power of France, England and Ireland will be difficult to contain too.

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Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has played down suggestions by Eddie Jones they are the favourites

That being said, only once in the last 16 years have England won by more than seven points at Murrayfield (2014), with contests between the pair invariably tight, and never easy. With the stadium filled to the brim and supporters confident too, England will have to play very well to earn victory.

England’s depleted centre options

One area in which England head into Saturday fairly green is at centre, with first-choice options Owen Farrell (ankle) and Manu Tuilagi (hamstring) out injured.

Added to that, Harlequins’ Joe Marchant has been in Covid-19 isolation all week, and though he returned in time to train on Thursday and be involved, Eddie Jones has chosen to select him on the left wing, with Jonny May (knee) and Anthony Watson (knee) out injured too.

Manu Tuilagi limped off with a hamstring injury after scoring the opening try against South Africa in November, and has yet to return

The net result is that Saracens’ Elliot Daly, who Jones did not name in the original 36-man England squad and has only ever started at centre once for England back in November 2016, lines out at outside-centre, with Exeter’s Henry Slade a potential second playmaker outside Marcus Smith at 12.

Though 31 of Daly’s caps have come at full-back for England, and a further 17 on the wing, the 29-year-old did start at centre for the Lions vs the Springboks in the summer. He has hardly been in Jones’ good books of late, though, and how he responds on the pitch could be key to the flow of the game.

Elliot Daly starts at 13 for England for only the second time ever, and first time since 2016

Gloucester’s Mark Atkinson appeared the only other centre option in the squad, but the 31-year-old has just one Test cap and has never started a game at international level before now.

The 13 channel has been said to be the most difficult area on the pitch to defend. With Scotland full of talent in their backs, how well Daly does will likely have a major bearing of Saturday’s result.

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England head coach Jones and Curry spoke of the ‘massive blow’ of losing to an ankle injury.

Vital set-piece battle

A second area in which England have been hit badly for injuries is in the second row, with Saracens’ Nick Isiekwe drafted in for his first Test appearance in four years, his fourth cap and second-ever start.

Moreover, the 23-year-old will be making his Six Nations debut when he partners Maro Itoje, and, like Daly, was not selected in Jones’ original squad.

Courtney Lawes is one of a number of potential second row options out due to injury

A leg injury to Exeter’s Jonny Hill and concussion for Courtney Lawes deprives England of two Lions options at lock, while Wasps’ Joe Launchbury has only just returned from an ACL knee injury which has kept him out since April, and thus he was deemed not ready.

The set-piece battle in rugby is so often pivotal, and with such disruption in a crucial area for England, might Scotland be able to take advantage at the lineout?

From England’s point of view, a powerful front-row unit of Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Kyle Sinckler will look to go after Scotland at the scrum.

Loosehead prop Rory Sutherland is a key man in the Scotland forward pack

Sutherland may have steadied the ship for the Scots in recent years, but England’s trio will look to turn the screw. If the hosts can maintain parity at scrum-time, they will likely view that as a win.

A debutant England skipper

With Farrell and Lawes out, 23-year-old flanker Tom Curry has stepped into the captaincy void for England, and in doing so becomes his country’s youngest captain since Will Carling in 1988.

The white hot heat of Murrayfield on a Scotland vs England Six Nations weekend is potentially up there with the toughest of first assignments as a skipper, with the stadium set to be rocking and hugely vocal.

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Tom Curry says it’s a dream to captain England for the Six Nations opener against Scotland and he won’t do the role a disservice.

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Jones says Curry will lead by example and could be as good as Richie McCaw

Curry, while a magnificent performer in recent years and well-beyond his years in terms of accomplishments in his career to this point – 35 England caps, three-time Test Lion, World Cup final – will be making crucial, game-altering decisions as to whether to take points or go to the corner for the first time.

He must also be wise as to when and how he communicates with Kiwi referee Ben O’Keeffe, and will have to keep a cool head as nearly 70,000 inside Murrayfield make their feelings known.

Team-mates Ellis Genge and Kyle Sinckler also have a tendency to be hot-headed, with Jones admitting on Thursday he expects Scotland to target them, as well as fly-half Smith. All of which Curry will have to play a part in controlling.

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Jones said Scotland will be ‘red-hot’ favourites for the Six Nations clash at Murrayfield on Saturday

England also have a habit over the last few years of getting on the bad side of referees with regard to penalty counts. Can Curry try and change this from his position of captain? While also delivering the fundamentals of his game from the back-row?

He has all the skills to do so, for sure, but he wouldn’t be human if he wasn’t feeling a little nervous heading to Edinburgh.

Team News

Scotland: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Sam Johnson, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ali Price; 1 Rory Sutherland, 2 George Turner, 3 Zander Fagerson, 4 Jonny Gray, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 6 Jamie Ritchie, 7 Hamish Watson, 8 Matt Fagerson.

Replacements: 16 Stuart McInally, 17 Pierre Schoeman, 18 WP Nel, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Magnus Bradbury, 21 Ben White, 22 Blair Kinghorn, 23 Sione Tuipulotu

England: 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.

Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Charlie Ewels, 20 Alex Dombrandt, 21 Harry Randall, 22 George Ford, 23 Jack Nowell.