6N Preview: Scotland v England
Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:31
First prize: Scotland lock Nathan Hines with the Calcutta Cup
It's a special match, the oldest international in rugby history, the match with a title - the Calcutta Cup match. It is special.
The Scots look at England as the auld enemy, the conqueror who sang about their knavish tricks till the Scots got an anthem of their own, remembering a rare battlefield success and then a parliament of their own.
The Calcutta Cup, made of melted Indian rupees, has been played for since 1979. It adds to the history of the game.
The Scots won the first one at Raeburn place in 1871 but since them England have won more often than the Scots. The score now is 67-42 but, heartening for the northern men, they have won the last two matches at Murrayfield. They would love tae win again. Also heartening must be their November win over the Wallabies.
But the Six Nations have not gone well. They threw away the match against Wales and then lost to the ardent Italians in Rome. The wooden spoon is in prospect.
They are out of sorts, but then so are England whose Six Nations has been pretty drab. Could this just be a drab match - the Scots back to the grim determination which beat the Wallabies and England kicking and dropping the ball.
If the Scots win, they will not mind however it happens. The same is true for England though there is likely to be some complaint about the way they play. Both coaches are under pressure, Andy Robinson of Scotland and Martin Johnson of England.
Both sides have been good on their own throw-ins at line-outs, Scotland's performance against France excepted. The scrums should be pretty even but Scotland could just win the battle for post-tackle possession. They have always rucked well and now have a loose trio which looks more agile, speedy and adaptable than England's.
Outside of the pack there does not seem much in it at halfback, not the way Jonnie Wilkinson has been playing. But if the two teams decide to run there could be interesting contests amongst the back three.
Goalkicking always plays a part, and Dan Parks is accurate while Jonny Wilkinson missed three at home against Ireland. He will surely improve. He is too dedicated not to.
The officials for this matter are a cosmopolitan lot. The referee is an Afrikaans-speaking South African. The assistants are an Irishman and an Italian, the television match official an Italian and the assessor a Frenchman. Communication could be slow.
Players to watch: There are not great personalities in either side, especially without brave, determined, adventurous Chris Paterson of the unerring boot. Dan Parks has been Scotland's man of the match in two of its three matches. He kicks well. The one player on both sides who will stand out is James Haskell, England's flank, while John Barclay on the Scottish side is energetic and fearless, the sort of player able to create opportunities. Riki Flutey is well overdue for a big game for England and it will be interesting to see if Jonny Wilkinson (England) really has lost the class he once had. Johnnie Beattie (Scotland) is a player to watch, a strong ball-carrier.
Head to Head: Clever, brave Chris Cusiter (Scotland) against impulsive Danny Care (England) - fireworks are possible there. If the wings get the ball there could well be a contest between mercurial Max Evans (Scotland) and steady Mark Cueto (England) and then between strong Sean Lamont (Scotland) and speedy but error-prone Ugo Monye (England). And who will win the kicking duel - Dan Parks (Scotland) or Jonny Wilkinson (England). It is strange to be asking the question but the gap between the two players is negligible on recent performances, except that Wilkinson still tackles.
Results this century:
2009: England won 26-12 at Twickenham, London
2008: Scotland won 15-9 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
2007: England won
42-20 at Twickenham, London
2006: Scotland won 18-12 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
2005: England won 43-22 at Twickenham, London
2004: England won 35-13 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
2003: England won 40-9 at Twickenham, London
2002: England won 29-3 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
2001: England won 43-3 at Twickenham, London
rugby365.com Prediction: England by 5 or so.
Teams
Scotland: 15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Sean Lamont, 13 Nick de Luca, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Max Evans, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Chris Cusiter (captain), 8 Johnnie Beattie, 7 John Barclay, 6 Kelly Brown, 5 Alastair Kellock, 4 Jim Hamilton, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Allan Jacobsen
Replacements: 16 Scott Lawson, 17 Geoff Cross, 18 Nathan Hines, 19 Alan MacDonald, 20 Rory Lawson, 21 Phil Godman, 22 Simon Danielli
England: 15 Delon Armitage; 14 Mark Cueto, 13 Mathew
Tait, 12 Riki Flutey, 11 Ugo Monye; 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Danny Care; 8 Nick Easter, 7 Joe Worsley, 6 James Haskell; 5 Steve Borthwick (captain), 4 Louis Deacon; 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Tim Payne
Replacements: 16 Steve Thompson, 17 David Wilson, 18 Courtney Lawes, 19 Lewis Moody, 20 Ben Youngs, 21 Toby Flood, 22 Ben Foden
Date: Saturday, March 13
Kick-off: 17.00 GMT
Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Expected weather conditions: Scattered clouds with a 20% chance of rain, a high of 10°C, dropping to 2°C and a westerly wind of 18 km/h. Rugby's a better bet than beach.
Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland), Carlo Damasco (Italy)
TMO: Giulio De Santis (Italy)
By Paul Dobson
Contact Us | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Advertising
