Gregor Townsend acknowledges the Calcutta Cup showdown with England as Scotland’s premier fixture of the season. However, the head coach firmly rejects suggestions that his squad reserves its top performances exclusively for this rivalry.
Response to Courtney Lawes’ Criticism
Former England lock Courtney Lawes intensified scrutiny on Scotland by asserting in a recent column, ‘Scotland only play well because it’s England, that p***** me off. It strikes me as a major weakness in Scotland’s psyche.’
Townsend brushed off the remark as mere opinion, noting, ‘He’s got his opinion. He obviously wasn’t at the All Blacks game [in the autumn] or he wasn’t at other games. We played very good rugby.’
He added that Scotland must elevate its game against most opponents nowadays due to their high quality, emphasizing consistent pride in performances across matches.
Recent Setbacks and Pressure
Scotland has claimed the Calcutta Cup in six of the last eight encounters under Townsend’s leadership. Yet, pressure mounts following a lackluster loss to Italy in Rome, marking a poor Six Nations opener.
Townsend reflected, ‘The last two performances or last two results against Italy and Argentina have been disappointing. It opens up opportunities for criticising the team, criticising the coach. I get that. It’s not good enough from our perspective.’
Saturday’s clash gains extra significance after the defeat. ‘This is huge… It’s our biggest game of the season, it always has been. It’s even more important on the back of a disappointing defeat,’ Townsend stated.
Key Team Changes
Townsend introduced four alterations post-Italy. Ewan Ashman exits due to a neck injury, with George Turner stepping in at hooker—a decision based purely on fitness.
Pierre Schoeman, Grant Gilchrist, and Matt Fagerson sit out, replaced by Nathan McBeth, Gregor Brown, and Jamie Ritchie. Notably, no Edinburgh players feature in the starting XV for the first time since 1998.
The coach retained a five-three bench split despite its issues in Rome’s wet conditions. High-profile absentees include Duhan van der Merwe, scorer of five tries in seven games against England, and Blair Kinghorn.
Townsend praised the selected lineup’s potential impact, stressing Test rugby demands all 23 players. Finn Russell remains pivotal for sparking the attack against England.
