• History of the fixture

The Anglo-Celtic rugby rivalry is one of the most historic 'derby days' that you will find anywhere in sport. Dating back to the late 1870s, the Calcutta Cup was first won by Scotland. 

England have the most wins over Scotland, with almost double. 70 England victories for the fabled trophy outshines the 40 wins Scotland boast if history is anything to go by. 

  • The last time they met

The Scots would prefer to live in the present and to relish the memories of their most recent match against England. The astonishing 38-38 draw saw Scotland retain the cup, on the bounds of the champions' advantage. 

During that game, England took a blistering lead, seeing them sit 31-7 in front as they jogged in for halftime. Scotland's captain Stuart McInally's try was seen as only as consolation at that point. 

The second half response from Gregor Townsend's men, spurred on an incredible comeback. Magnus Bradbury, Finn Russell, Sam Johnson and two for Darcey Graham, saw Scotland pull away with a 38-31 lead, with only minutes left to play. 

England had one last decisive attack, which saw George Ford score in the 80th minute. The fly half stole the win away from Scotland, who had performed so valiantly to go in front. 

That game will go down as one of the most captivating fixtures that  Northern Hemisphere rugby has produced in recent times. 

  • Team News 

England 

Eddie Jones has decided to keep Tom Curry in the number eight shirt, despite a less than perfect start in his newfound position.

Billy Vunipola's broken arm has caused quite a problem in the back-row, with Curry's strengths revolving around defensive work and not necessarily ball carrying.  

Manu Tuilangi is also going to be absent for the match following a groin strain. He was not 100% fit going into the clash against France last week, and reaggravated the injury, forcing his substitution. 

 

A change at scrum-half as Ben Youngs has been dropped following form that is less than up to his own standards. Gloucester's Willi Heinz has been given the nod; he made a big impact after coming off the bench in Paris. 

Scotland 

Finn Russell remains absent from the squad following a disciplinary after breaching Scotland rugby's code of conduct. Adam Hastings is again in the number 10 jersey. 

Marcus Bradbury is the only change to the Scotland starting lineup. He will replace Nick Haining and begin the game at number eight. Bradbury put in an impressive performance against Ireland.