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England can wrap up a second successive Six Nations title with victory over Scotland on Saturday – a triumph that would also equal a world record for consecutive wins.
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Ireland’s 22-9 defeat in Wales on Friday opened the door for England to retain their crown with a game to spare.
This weekend’s Calcutta Cup match at Twickenham already had plenty riding on it, with England able to pull level with New Zealand’s marker of 18 wins on the bounce by a tier-one team.
The All Blacks‘ run was halted by Ireland in November and a win for England would tee up the chance to break the record in Dublin next weekend.
Scotland have been a revelation during this year’s tournament, picking up impressive wins against Ireland and Wales and coming away with a bonus point from a narrow defeat in France.
They have not won at Twickenham since 1983, but have the added motivation of being able to clinch a first Triple Crown for 27 years should they overcome their hosts.
HEAD TO HEAD
England: 74
Scotland: 42
Draw: 18
WHAT HAPPENED IN 2016?
England visited Murrayfield on the opening weekend of the championship last year, edging a tight contest 15-9 in their first match under Eddie Jones.
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George Kruis and Jack Nowell touched down for the visitors, while Scotland relied on the boot of captain Greig Laidlaw – injured for this year’s clash – for all of their points.
The result represented England’s eighth successive Calcutta Cup clash without defeat.
KEY PLAYERS
Elliot Daly (England)
Omens may not be for everyone but Elliot Daly – named in England’s starting XV on Saturday – has won all 11 of his games for England. Only two players have played more games for any country and maintained a 100 per cent win rate – New Zealand duo Charles Piutau (17) and Corey Flynn (15). Daly has arguably made his case for Lions selection more than most in this year’s championship and another strong performance will further aid his cause.
Jonny Gray (Scotland)
Stuart Hogg’s attacking exploits have claimed most of the limelight in Scotland’s rejuvenation so far but it would be remiss to ignore the defensive contribution of Jonny Gray, who currently tops the charts for tackles in the tournament (52). Brother Richie, meanwhile, has made the most tackles without missing one (41).
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THE LINE-UPS
England: Mike Brown, Jack Nowell, Jonathan Joseph, Owen Farrell, Elliot Daly, George Ford, Ben Youngs; Joe Marler, Dylan Hartley (captain), Dan Cole, Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes, Maro Itoje, James Haskell, Nathan Hughes.
Scotland: Stuart Hogg, Tommy Seymour, Huw Jones, Alex Dunbar, Tim Visser, Finn Russell, Ali Price; Gordon Reid, Fraser Brown, Zander Fagerson, Richie Gray, Jonny Gray, John Barclay (captain), Hamish Watson, Ryan Wilson.
COACH COMMENTS
Eddie Jones (England): “It’s an 80-minute game and we’ve got to be ahead at the 80-minute mark and that’s what we’re aiming to be against Scotland. It’s like starting a 100 metre race – you can be ahead at the 10m mark but you’ve got to be in front at the 100m mark.”
Vern Cotter (Scotland): “I think they’ll comfortably move through the gears as the game goes on and finish in top speed and we’ve got to stay with them. We know more or less what’s coming and it’s just a matter of withstanding that.”
OPTA STATS
– A win for Scotland in this game would see them win the Triple Crown for the first time since 1990 when Ian McGeechan’s side completed the Grand Slam.
– Scotland have not won at Twickenham since 1983; they have lost 15, including the last 13 in a row, and drawn once away to England since then.
– England have won their last 10 Six Nations games, equalling the tournament record set by them twice before (1882 to 1886 and 1922 to 1925).
– England have won their last 13 home games in the Six Nations, the last time they went on a longer such run was between 1998 and 2003 (14 games).
