Scotland hunt first win at Twickenham in 38 years

A rivalry that transcends the game of rugby will play out at Twickenham on Saturday as the English host the Scots in the opening round of the 2021 Six Nations.

Defending champions England will be hoping to make a good start of their campaign as they look to replicate the result of 2020. Eddie Jones’ charges were victorious in all but one of their fixtures last year, initiating their campaign with a surprising, 24-17 loss to a rampant French side in Round 1. Following that, they had the better of their opposition in their remaining games, capping off their tournament with a dominant, 34-5 victory against the Italians.

Scotland enjoyed a good tournament in 2020 in which they were slow starters but strong finishers. Ireland had the better of Gregor Townsend’s men in Round 1 (19-12) before their challenge to the English in Round 2 was cut down, though only by seven points (13-6).

Thereafter, the Scots brushed aside Italy, France and the struggling Welsh to earn a fourth-place finish on the table.

The 13-6 result against England was derived from a game that drew an enormous amount of attention before kick-off as the previous outing between the two sides – the final match of the 2019 tournament – had proved to be one of the finest games in Six Nations history with a phenomenal comeback by Scotland which brought them to within an inch of victory after a 31-0 deficit.

Scotland have not tasted victory at Twickenham since 1983. To put that in perspective, none of the current Scotland representatives were alive when the Scots last put England to the sword on the latter’s home turf.

All eyes will be on enigmatic danger man, Finn Russell. England’s fullback Elliot Daly spoke recently on the threat posed by the Scottish playmaker:

“The way he plays is very free and fearless. You have to be ready for everything. He might do a few things that come off, but you have to stay in the moment and limit them,” Daly said.

“I’ve played against him a few times now and you have to anticipate some stuff that you wouldn’t anticipate from other players.

“It’s understanding what he sees in the game and trying to work out what he’ll do, although you can’t get it right every time.

“With Saracens, we switched off a little bit and that was the game sorted. If you look back on that match, we could have stopped that if we were a bit more alert.

“That was in the 70th minute, so it’s about doing it for the full 80 and not switching off.”

It will be up to the England pack to ensure that Russell is starved of possession. It has been a troubling few weeks for forwards coach Matt Proudfout as he suffered a few of setbacks recently with workhorse flanker Sam Underhill being ruled out with a hip injury while the second-row stocks were also thinned after Joe Launchbury broke his leg. In the front-row, loose-head Joe Marler made himself unavailable for personal reason and tighthead Kyle Sinckler is currently serving a suspension. However, with names like Itoje, Genge, Vunipola, Curry and George to fall back on, the England pack will still prove a formidable obstacle for their counterparts.

Scotland’s discipline will be key to the result of this contest as the lethal boot of England captain Owen Farrell – arguably the best kicker in the world at present – is capable of punishing indiscretions from well within England’s own half.

Much will depend on the performance of Scotland’s industrious openside flanker Jamie Ritchie, whose menacing presence has rendered him the heart and soul of the Scottish pack in recent times. His skill in turning over ball, in particular, could be a vital factor with regard to the Scots’ possession statistic come the final whistle, and his battle with Tom Curry is sure to be immense.

With the Calcutta Cup also in the balance, this clash is shaping up as something to be savoured by fans and neutrals alike. If the Scottish pack are able to put together a spirited performance and thus secure a decent amount of possession, thereby unleashing the talents of Finn Russell on the English, the latter could have a tough afternoon. However, any side at the instruction of Eddie Jones will prove ominous to any opposition. With plenty of history and tradition behind this fixture, emotions are guaranteed to be running high, will add significantly to what will hopefully be another great spectacle.