Rugby has been fetishising the past ever since British Army officers ordered some Indian silversmiths to melt 270 rupees and craft the Calcutta Cup back in 1879. No England-Scotland showdown since has ended without rancour, and plenty of clashes have wound up in recriminations that might never end.
If England have their way at Murrayfield on Saturday, they will leave Scotland to swoon over past triumphs. It’s all part of the annual pomp and legend that sees two groups of grown men snorting and snarling at each other as they bid to steal a march.
