For years, England have had a problem. Be it at Twickenham or Murrayfield, in conditions dry or dreich, come the Calcutta Cup clash, they have been unable to stop Scotland’s mischief-makers in chief. Amid fluctuating fortunes for each side, England getting cut to ribbons in this fixture has been a familiar, predictable theme in a run of six defeats in seven.
From Duhan van der Merwe’s wondrous weave between would-be tacklers at Twickenham two years ago way back to Huw Jones’s length-of-the-field classic in Edinburgh in 2018, Scotland have found a way to cut England deeply more often than just about any other side. Hulking wing Van der Merwe has six tries against the Auld Enemy; carving centre Jones has five.
