Before England’s one-point victory over France, I made the point that I think the national side would benefit hugely from continuity in selection.
After beating Les Bleus, it would have made no sense for Steve Borthwick to rip up his team for the Calcutta Cup. And I’m delighted he hasn’t.
It might seem an obvious thing to say, but international coaching is all about stability and England’s side for Scotland represents that. Ollie Chessum being promoted to the starting XV and swapping places with George Martin who is on the bench is the only change.
But really, Borthwick’s matchday 23 is essentially unchanged because the reason why Martin is among the replacements is because he’s not quite fit enough to start.
And that is quite right. The England team that beat France deserves another chance to win a big Test match and make no mistake, that is what the Scotland game is.
The Calcutta Cup is always huge given the history between the two countries involved.
The English national team will benefit hugely from continuity and sticking with Fin Smith (pictured) and Marcus Smith is the right call
After their win over France, I can see England breaking their duck against Scotland – and it will be a significant scalp
The France win can be a turning point for Steve Borthwick and his men, and the England boss is right to go with a stable side
If England were to beat Scotland, it would represent a significant scalp for Borthwick and his players, primarily because of how the recent encounters have gone.
Scotland have won the last four meetings. That is simply not good enough from an English perspective. However, I simply cannot see England losing the 2025 clash.
Borthwick and his players will know they got a big, big break against France. That was a game they should have lost.
But sometimes in international rugby, you make your own luck and things fall your way. That’s what happened to England in round two.
I think England will win with plenty to spare this weekend. Their camp seems a happy, positive place and clearly that would have gone to another level after France.
Scotland might have had the wood over England recently, but the constant talk of them as title contenders seems to be a statement with no foundation.
Scotland played so badly against Ireland I was shocked. They just didn’t look the part. Scottish fans will say their team was hit hard by the injuries to Finn Russell and Darcy Graham.
There is some merit to that argument, but it is also not the whole story as even before the two backs went off, I didn’t think Scotland were at the races at all.
I can’t see England’s pack having trouble with Scotland’s eight, especially not with Ollie Chessum back starting
Scotland have won the Calcutta Cup four times in a row and that is not good enough by England
However, I do not see Scotland’s success against England as a platform for greater things
Scotland have a chance to make a stand on brain impact injuries by leaving out Finn Russell
I can’t see England’s pack having any trouble with the Scottish eight who were exposed badly by the Irish, especially with a hungry Chessum coming in to prove a point.
England’s forward replacements, led by Jamie George, made a big impact against France, so I’m sure Borthwick might have been tempted to switch things up.
But again, it was the right call to stick rather than twist.
Maintaining the two Smiths – Fin and Marcus – at No 10 and 15 respectively for Scotland was also a no brainer on the back of the French game.
What will be really interesting is if George Furbank returns from injury in time to be in contention to figure in the final two games with Italy and Wales.
If he is, he should come straight back in at full-back because he is the best player available to England in that position. In that scenario, Borthwick would then have a very, very big call to make between which Smith starts at fly-half. Whoever loses this weekend is in big trouble.
And I expect that team to be Scotland.
The Scots have a big call to make on Russell and Graham after their nasty head knocks against Ireland. From a player welfare point of view, I was pleased to see Scotland not allow Russell back on to the field even though he’d passed his head injury assessment.
Gregor Townsend has overseen Scotland’s dominance over England, but their wider Six Nations contributions have been weak
That sort of approach is to be applauded, but it would send an even stronger message if Russell also sat out the England game if it was decided that was the best thing for him.
Last week, I attended a concussion and head injury discussion evening entitled Ahead of the Game. It was fascinating to hear from experts in the field and it showed me rugby isn’t as far ahead as I thought it was in head injury management, far from it in fact.
My main takeaway from the evening is we should stop calling these injuries ‘concussion’ and change the narrative to ‘brain impact injury’ which is far more accurate.
Russell and Scotland have a chance to make a stand on this issue this weekend. The Calcutta Cup is important. But it’s not as important as a person’s brain.
