Finn Russell's Scotland welcome Jamie George and his England team to Murrayfield on Saturday. Composite: Getty Images; Shutterstock
Some games are bigger than others and this year's Calcutta Cup match falls firmly into that category. The World Cup may be over, but for reasons both ancient and modern, the 142nd edition of rugby's oldest international match feels more important than usual. A decisive meeting awaits all involved, in the short and medium term.
In different ways, Scotland and England have reached a fork in their development paths. If you do it satisfyingly well, the high road beckons. Stumble and a whole host of thorny old questions will soon resurface, especially for the visitors to Murrayfield. Small wins over Italy and Wales are one thing, but the acid test of the latest Red Rose incarnation has arrived.
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Admittedly, we've been here before. Like the repainting of the nearby Forth Bridge, English makeovers sometimes seem like one of those projects that never really end. Yet certain things are non-negotiable and a fourth consecutive Six Nations defeat to Scotland would be impossible for anyone at Twickenham to gloss over.
Scotland, for its part, will have had a very disappointing championship if it had lost both its home games. If they were unlucky in the closing moments against France, they will also know that it was a game they should have won anyway. Favoritism does not always suit them, but once again they falter in the face of their own supporters and a year of frustrating underachievement will loom.
Hence the anticipation in the cool, malt-scented air around Murrayfield, rarely a venue where England have felt completely at ease. They did win in 2020, but that was their only success in the past six meetings. To substantiate Steve Borthwick and his players' insistence that better times are ahead, they urgently need to put a stop to that streak.
It won't be easy: Scotland has a steady, skilled and motivated squad. On these occasions too, they tend to play smart, rather than settle for a slow, exhausting game that usually suits England just fine. It doesn't take a crystal ball to predict that the crisis will be another pivotal one, with Rory Darge and Jamie Ritchie looking to disrupt England's calm, or that Finn Russell's fingerprints will be all over the match at some point.
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England have done their best to prepare themselves by inviting young Northampton fly-half Finn Smith to try and emulate some of Russell's little feints and tricks in training. It's not always that simple, however, and it was instructive to hear Scotland's ringmaster discuss the mentality needed to overcome the souped-up 'blitz' defense that England will bring.
During the World Cup, South Africa effectively outpaced Scotland through the pass, rushing forward to limit Russell's options and restrict the style of their opponents. The lessons of that 18-3 defeat, Russell says, have been duly taken to heart. "Under pressure we probably went into our shell a bit. Tomorrow we just have to believe in ourselves and trust the work we have done over the past six months to a year.
"When we feel under pressure, we can't get tunnel vision. We can't just focus on their blitz and look straight ahead. We have to look at the bigger picture.
"The message I wanted to convey to the boys today was decisive: do not be confused between carrying and passing. Then you end up on the back foot and the defense comes on top of us."
If that sometimes implies a game of craftsmanship, then that is almost certainly what awaits us. Wales discovered a number of holes inside the defenders in the English midfield, but did not have the firepower that Scotland had out wide. With a fast ball and a touch of space, Duhan van der Merwe and Kyle Steyn have the ability to cause big problems for a rearranged backline. The return of Blair Kinghorn won't exactly hamper their kicking game either.
From England's perspective, the onus is on the front five to generate some momentum, ideally with center Ollie Lawrence replicating his blistering form for Bath before his untimely injury last month. After falling behind at half-time against Italy and Wales, the visitors will have to start faster and keep the number of penalties as low as possible. In that respect, it is somewhat ominous for them that referee Andrew Brace presided over Scotland's Calcutta Cup victories in 2018 and 2021.
That said, off the pitch England are as positive and harmonious as they have been in years, which seems to be helping them find a way through tight fixtures that might once have slipped away. In Jamie George they also have a leader who sets a truly remarkable example after learning his mother had been diagnosed with cancer on the same day he was invited to captain England. If his inspiringly warm, heartfelt tribute to his late mother has half the effect on his team as it did on the assembled media on Thursday evening, they will be desperate to honor the memory of Jane George in the greatest way possible.
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Things like that clearly make the outcome of any rugby match completely relative. But as George was keen to point out, his mother loved the game and her sense of pride in his appointment was excessive. In such circumstances, the practice of sports takes on a new meaning: it becomes an opportunity to channel raw emotions elsewhere, to find solace in the community in the locker room and to give thanks for small graces as the first notes of the national anthem rise to the sky .
Then? The sentiment will provide only partial protection for England as temperatures drop and the Murrayfield maelstrom intensifies. Hold on and, with games against Ireland and France still to come, they will continue to control their own destiny. Once again, get carried away by opponents who increasingly seem to have their number and the progress they maintain will have to be reassessed.
It makes for a tantalizing prospect and, quite possibly, a fluctuating ride for both groups of fans. Scotland had to endure a controversial photo finish a fortnight ago, but this time, chasing a fourth successive victory over England for the first time in more than half a century, it may take some time for them to grind to a halt.
