England can make it three wins from three with a win at Scotland in the Six Nations.
16:45 Saturday
One of the great rivalries in world rugby renews for another chapter on Saturday, as England travel to Edinburgh to play Scotland for the Calcutta Cup once again on the line.
England have enjoyed an unbeaten (albeit unconvincing start) to their Six Nations campaign with wins over Italy and Wales and will be looking to keep their Grand Slam hopes intact.
But for a controversial no try decision at the end of their game against France, Scotland would also be sitting on two wins entering round three, but they now need a bounce back performance to keep their title hopes alive.
Scotland vs England Prediction
Since the Six Nations began in 2000, England have dominated this fixture winning 14 of the 18 games between the sides from 2000-2018, but recently roles have been reversed, with Scotland winning won four of the last six renewals including two famous wins at Twickenham.
Those wins have provided much earned confidence for the Scottish side, but despite their recent record against their old rivals this will be one of the first times they enter the fixture as odds-on favourites (best price of 8/13 on Sky Bet) so that brings expectation and pressure.
On the flipside, England carry the unusual tag of underdogs and arrive with a lot less expectation on their shoulders and can be backed at a best price of 7/4 on Betway.
One of the key match-ups at the weekend will be England’s new blitz defence against the mercurial talents of Scotland’s fly-half Finn Russell.
There have been moments in the opening rounds where England’s new system has been exploited, but it has also created opportunities for turnovers and penalties.
Russell’s ability to pick apart defences with his long passing and kicking game will be crucial to the outcome. If England can create pressure the Scottish response will be fascinating - will they revert to the kicking tactics of the second half against France or will they double down on their attacking game to exploit the space left by the blitz defence system?
Scotland vs England Lineups
Scotland Team to Play England
Kinghorn, Steyn, Jones, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe, Russell (co-capt), White; Schoeman, Turner, Fagerson, Gilchrist, Cummings, Ritchie, Darge (co-capt), Dempsey.
England Team to Play Scotland
Furbank; Freeman, Slade, Lawrence, Daly; Ford, Care; Genge, George (capt), Cole, Itoje, Chessum, Roots, Underhill, Earl.
Scotland vs England Team News
England make five changes to the starting line-up from the opening two games.
George Furbank, Ollie Lawrence and Danny Care replace Freddie Steward, Fraser Dingwall and Alex Mitchell in the backs, while props Ellis Genge and Dan Cole make their first starts of the tournament with Joe Marler and Will Stuart dropping to the bench.
Leicester lock George Martin makes his return to the matchday 23 taking the place of Alex Coles on the bench.
Scotland have also made changes to their starting XV including the return of former captain Jamie Ritchie at blindside flanker.
In the backs Blair Kinghorn returns to the number 15 jersey, while Kyle Steyn also returns on the wing after missing the game against France.
Scotland vs England Odds
| Team | Best Odds | Worst Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 8/13 | 1/2 |
| England | 7/4 | 11/8 |
Scotland vs England Rugby Betting Tips
Betting Tip: Scotland/England - Half Time/Full Time @ 19/2
Scotland have started both of their games so far in tremendous fashion. Against Wales in round one they found themselves 20-0 up at half-time and they also led 13-10 against the French after 40 minutes in round two.
The second half of those games, however, told a very different story. After Duhan Van Der Merwe’s 42nd minute try against Wales, Gregor Townsend’s side failed to register a single point and almost threw away a lead that looked unassailable at one point.
It was a similar story in round two where for the final 23 minutes of the game Scotland failed to trouble the scoreboard and ultimately lost the game. In the second halves of both games they have been outscored 36-10.
While England have hardly set the world alight so far, they’ve shown the ability to get stronger as the game wears on, outscoring their opponents 24-7 in the final 40 minutes of their first two games.
The England bench is a big reason for this; they can rotate their props effectively and power to the back five with Chandler Cunningham-South in particular impressing from the bench.
I can see Scotland making a quick start, but as the pressure comes on in that final quarter I’m not sure they have the bench to sustain the effort. If England can hang in the fight and be within a score come 60 minutes, they have the pressure game to create opportunities for penalties and tries.
At a best price of 19/2 on BetMGM UK I really like the backing Scotland/England in the half-time full-time market.
