Scotland boast strong recent Calcutta Cup record
England have not won at Murrayfield since 2020
Maro Itoje has called on England to be “bulletproof” as they seek to clinch a first win at Murrayfield in six years on Saturday. England can keep their grand slam pursuit alive by successfully defending the Calcutta Cup and Itoje has urged his side to create their own history despite their recent wretched form in Edinburgh.
With England on a 12-match winning streak and Scotland suffering a shock defeat by Italy last week, Steve Borthwick’s side are clear favourites. Their only victory at Murrayfield since Eddie Jones’s first game in charge in 2016 came in miserable weather in 2020, however, with Scotland securing victories in 2022 and last time out in 2024.
England have been regularly knocked from their stride on Scottish soil with a pre-match fracas in the tunnel preceding the 2018 defeat. Jones was furious two years later when he thought a Scotland supporter had thrown a bottle at his head of elite performance, Neil Craig, while two years ago Borthwick said that his players had “played small” after relinquishing an early lead.
