England have not lifted the Calcutta Cup since 2020, lost to Scotland four times on the bounce and beaten their rivals only once in seven years. If they are to send the Twickenham crowd into raptures, these are the five things Steve Borthwick’s troops must nail to claim back the storied silverware.
Bottle that emotion
For all the data and analysis and laptop indoctrination of the modern era, rugby remains a sport of heart and soul as much as it is of metres and carries. All the brilliantly insightful stats whataboutery during this week’s build-up to the Calcutta Cup will have nothing like the impact on self-belief and feelgood vibes as did the result at Twickenham last week.
That’s what England need to nurture – that sense of fulfilment and vindication. Yes, we aren’t a bad side. Yes, we can close out a game. Yes, we do deserve a bit of luck. And, yes, all those hard yards have been worth it. No more ‘taking the learnings’ platitudes. Just some inner happiness and relish for what lies ahead. Bogart had Casablanca. England have their Twickenham Agincourt. It matters. It’s not just Scotland now who can recall famous old battles as a source of inspiration.
Few have truly believed in England over this morale-sapping 12 months with promising situations only delivering ultimate heartache on the scoreboard. Perhaps even one or two of the squad have harboured doubts in the project themselves, if only in passing. Now it all makes sense. Now it’s all been worth it. That emotion at the final whistle was real. Bottle it.
No more bold selections
Steve Borthwick has belied his dour, feet-on-the-ground persona with bold selections, twisting rather than sticking in search of the trump card which might make the difference. The back-row line-up against Ireland. Cadan Murley on the wing (part success, part come-back-to-bite). And then the Smith double-act against France.
And now? It’s time to trust those who did a job against France. Imperfect as it was at times, there is no need now to tinker further. Not for the time being at least. The Smith-and-Smith combo is far from ideal, or, at least, not as far, as Marcus is concerned. As soon as George Furbank is back fit and firing then the 15 shirt should pass to a 15. There, sounds as obvious as it should be.
This is not to dump on Marcus. Far from it. He has a serious and proper role to play for England, either as a red-hot option off the bench or as a starting 10 in his own right. Fin Smith went pretty well after an iffy start. That’s it so far. Even he himself admits there is more to come. Marcus Smith should not be seen as some sort of fall guy for what went before, for England’s inability to get across the line. It’s unfair to depict the battle between Fin and Marcus as one thing or the other: Steady Eddie against maverick dilettante. As if they were complete opposites. They are not. Both are very fine players. For the moment, Marcus’s lot is to do a number for England from the rear. And that’s how it should be against Scotland.
This Calcutta Cup match is a final for England
England have to view the rest of this Six Nations as knockout rugby. Victory over France, no matter it was against the grain and replete with good fortune and oops-a-daisy Gallic handling, has opened up unexpected possibilities for England. And that does include a possible Six Nations title, their first in five years. Of course, that would be an extreme outcome with Ireland very much in the box seats and France smarting from their Twickenham meltdown. But it is not an impossible scenario – and, no, this has nothing to do with typical presumptuous English arrogance.
England might well win their remaining three games with two home fixtures, starting with Scotland, followed a fortnight later by spring-in-their-step Italy and, finally, put-upon Wales in Cardiff. So recent, and therefore unproven, is England’s upbeat status a diametrically opposed scenario can be drawn whereby Scotland extend their four-in-a-row success against Borthwick’s team before Italy confirm their rising promise and win for the first ever time against England. And we all know how the Principality Stadium has been a theatre of nightmares for England down the years.
And that is why this particular Calcutta Cup fixture is so pivotal, so laden with significance. Win, and England are on their way back, able to build on their victory over France, something they were not able to do after beating Ireland last season. Lose, and it’s draw-the-curtains time for England fans once again.
Twickenham is the place to be
Oka, so you might need a crypto fortune to be able to afford a ticket but even those who have forked out top dollar for seats over the past year could not complain they haven’t had their money’s worth. Well, in terms of drama at any rate.
Allianz may not have got much of a return so far in terms of the desired rebranding of the stadium – and, that, in my opinion, may never happen even though the Aviva has supplanted Lansdowne Road, the Millennium/Principality likewise for the Arms Park (complete rebuilds, I know) – but they have had shedloads of value in the experience for fans, the inconvenience of having to stand up every five minutes to let bladder-challenged nitwits through to the loo notwithstanding.
There have been several seat-of-the pants thrillers, from Marcus Smith’s last-gasp drop-goal winner against Ireland through the tables being turned by the All Blacks and Australia before Elliot Daly’s sumptuous score last weekend. The RFU may be presenting a hag-worn face to the world with its infighting woes. Test rugby on the field is doing a PR job on its own. More to come on Saturday.
Lions report card
Headteacher Andy Farrell will have been pleased with what he has seen so far. Maro Itoje has given him an option as a possible captain even though Caelan Doris is by some margin the leader in the clubhouse. Itoje’s quiet authority will not have gone unnoticed. The Saracens lock is a shoo-in as a player.
Other England players have enhanced their claims with the performances of props, Ellis Genge and Will Stuart, up against a monstrous French pack (on the weighing scales at any rate) notable. There is a brute of a Lions selection to be made in the back-row. Suffice to say Tom Curry is fast making it impossible for him to be passed over. Ben Earl and even newbie Tom Willis are in the mix. Alex Mitchell at scrum-half rediscovered his mojo against France while the Smiths will have a battle royale to be one of the 10s. Ollie Lawrence and Tommy Freeman are very much in the frame too. Again, the game against Scotland will have a significant bearing.
England, hopefully, by 10
Heart says England by 20. Head says tight but England SHOULD win, just. Too late for “the performance counts”. This is all or nothing, S**t or bust! One game can define a generation. But running out of silly phrases! Forwards up front should be out of sight and if Slade doesn’t rush up backs should be the equal. 🤞🤞🌷
Please God, don’t make it another false dawn for England, treat this game like a knockout WC game. Even if Eng win by 30 they’ll be criticised so… sod it.
it won’t be a false dawn - England have a genuine fly-half starting at 10 now!