by At one point in his midnight pre-match conference, Finn Russell referred to Saturday’s Calcutta Cup tie with England as “another game and another chance to win”.
If it was an attempt by the Scotland winger and co-captain to lower expectations around the intensity of the event, he undermined the moments of illusion that followed when he noted that the hosts had 153 years of history and put competition aside. “We just have to focus on this game,” he said. “It’s different for all of them.” Enough.
A day earlier the head coach, Gregor Townsend, made no bones about the fact that the England game is one more than any other. “That probably shouldn’t be the case, but it is,” he said. “It’s history. It’s a feeling.”
Related: England need to show faith in blitz defense to handle the threat of Finn Russell | Hugo Monye
Russell suggested that Scotland have tried to take emotion out of their preparations this week, but he still made a valid point. After thirty years when the victory over the uld enemy was the cause of wild celebrations, times are changing. With four wins and a draw from the last six competitions, any inferiority complex the Scots may have been thrown to the wind. “In the past if we were able to beat England it was a huge result and we used to celebrate it – big time,” Russell said with a knowing smile. “Don’t get me wrong, we’re all still celebrating. But it is in a different way. The team has come a long way and I think the attitude as a group has progressed a lot over the last five, six years. We are much more professional about this game now.”
Remarkably, Scotland could win a fourth successive final against England for the first time since 1896. They had won four straight together from 1970 to 1972, but one of those was a special centenary match for the first time. to commemorate a meeting of these oldest competitors.
Townsend, 50, was not born then. As a player he had to wait until the eighth attempt to enjoy a victory over England – the wooden spoon-avoid, post hatchet grand slam-reject on the side of Clive Woodward in 2000. It was to be his only one in 10 competition.
As an assistant coach from 2009 to 2012, there were four more wins and a single draw. But as the head coach of the national team, Townsend changed the story of this game. He may not yet have won against Ireland – nine tries and counting – or the All Blacks or Springboks, but there are some epic wins against the closest of them sitting proudly on his CV.
The dramatic 25-13 win in 2018 – Russell’s miracle pass, Huw Jones’ finish, John Barclay’s smashing kick – was the catalyst for the turning of the tide. The aggressive spirit continued even when staring into the abyss of a 31-0 deficit at Twickenham the following year, a mind-boggling comeback resulted great draw 38-38.
“The comeback in 2019 confirmed that belief and confidence we had against England,” Russell said. “We’ve had a couple of good wins after that, it’s something that’s being developed. It’s not just one result, it’s time for a change.”
It was the 2021 hoodoo win that ended a 38-year unbeaten run at Twickenham, coming from behind to end a tight one two years ago, and Duhan van der Merwe’s scores – one with individual brilliance , the other classic. team effort – a year ago Townsend became the first Scottish coach to lead back-to-back wins in London.
The only exception was the 2020 game, England sneezed at home at a storm-battered Murrayfield. For Russell, who was in exile at the time after falling out with Townsend, it was a good one to miss. After losing his first three encounters with England, he now has a record four wins and a draw from eight meetings.
Not that he’s counting his chickens. As one of the handful of players who left a humiliating 61-21 at Twickenham in 2017, he has seen both sides of the Calcutta Cup medal.
“Maybe there are some boys in the team who have only won against England. They won’t know how to concede 60 points down at Twickenham. Unfortunately, I can. But that’s a good thing where we are and the progress we’ve made as a group. In five years it can all change quickly.”
One thing that hasn’t changed yet is Scotland’s inability to string together five consistent performances over the Six Nations campaign. Having almost capitalized in Cardiff before getting a final bite, and falling against France from a commanding position, they desperately need an 80-minute performance of sustained quality to nip the green shoots of the Red Roses’ revival in the bud.
The new reality is that this Scottish team will now win if they are to keep their eye on both ends and go to Dublin on the final day with something tangible to aim for.
