It’s crunch time for England and Scotland as the historic and traditional rivals face off in the fight for the Calcutta Cup.
For England it’s a chance for revenge after a devastating defeat last year.
The final Six Nations bow of the year is set to be one of the biggest. Result permitting, England can win the championship in a World Cup year, giving Eddie Jones and his side a confidence boost before heading to Japan in September.
The Red and Whites have had a relatively successful campaign, winning three of their four games, picking up try bonus points in each of their victories over France, Ireland and Italy. A defeat to Wales in round three is the only blight on their campaign.
Scotland have shown improvement over recent years. This year’s campaign has been a difficult one, losing three and winning just once against Italy.
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When is the game?
The finale of the 2019 Six Nations kicks off at 5pm.
Prior to the finale Italy face France at 12:30pm and Wales face Ireland at 14:45pm.
Where it’s being played?
The rivals clash are set to clash at Twickenham in west London.
What TV channel is it on?
Live coverage of the Calcutta Cup will be on ITV from 4:15pm with all the build-up to the potential championship decider.
Can you live stream the game?
To stream England vs Scotland head to the ITV Hub website or app, if you are in the UK.
Mirror Sport with also have a live blog of the game.
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Team News
England have made four changes to the side that demolished Italy 57-14 last week.
Centre Henry Slade is back in the starting fifteen, taking his place back from Ben Te’o, to partner powerhouse Manu Tuilagi. Slade’s partnership with Tuilagi has gathered plaudits over the competition because of how much they compliment each others game.
Exeter Chiefs’ Jack Nowell replaces 21-year-old wing prodigy Joe Cokanasiga, who drops out of the squad despite his sensational performance against Italy. Cokanasiga has recently been compared to the All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu.
Eddie Jones publicly defended his choice saying: “You’ve got to keep players’ feet on the ground,” said the coach, who makes four changes for the visit of Scotland.
“When they’re blown up to be something they’re not, it’s difficult for them. With young players, particularly in this environment, you’ve got to look after them. I want Joe to play 100 Tests for England – I don’t want him to just play 10 Tests.”
Prop Ben Moon also returns in place of Ellis Genge as does flanker Mark Wilson for Brad Shields.
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has made six changes to the fifteen that narrowly lost 18-11 to Wales last week.
Flanker Hamish Watson replaces injured Jamie Ritchie, back row Sam Skinner replaces Josh Strauss, lock Ben Toolis is in for Jonny Gray, wingers Sean Maitland and Byron McGuigan replace the injured Tommy Seymour and Blair Kinghorn and Sam Johnston is included ahead of Pete Horne.
Captain and scum-half Grieg Laidlaw misses out once again to Ali Price.
Why is it called the Calcutta Cup
The Calcutta Cup is the trophy presented to the winner of the England versus Scotland in rugby union, which historically takes place during the annual Six Nations Championship.
The Six Nations dates back to 1883 but the cup predates that. After the introduction of rugby to India, the Calcutta Rugby Football Club was established in 1873 by former students of Rugby School (the birthplace of rugby).
They joined the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in 1874, but after the local British army regiment interest at the club subsided in the area, mostly down to other sports suiting the Indian climate.
Though the club was disbanded in 1878, members of decided to keep the memory of the club alive by having the remaining 270 silver rupees in their bank account melted down to be made into a trophy. The trophy created was presented to the RFU to be used as “the best means of doing some lasting good for the cause of Rugby Football.”
The Calcutta club originally thought the cup would be used as an annual prize, like the FA Cup.
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The silver trophy stands at approximately 18inches (45cm) sitting on a wooden base plate. The base plate holds the date of each match played, the winning country and the names of both captains. The cup is decorated with three etched King Cobras for handles and sitting atop the circular lid is an Indian elephant.
After the club was re-established in Calcutta in 1884. In 1890 the club had a trophy that was originally called the Rugby Union Challenge Cup, before it became known as the Calcutta Cup. However, the RFU preferred to keep the competition at an international level.
At the time Wales did not have a national team and Ireland’s team lagged behind both the English and Scottish sides, the Calcutta Cup became the victor’s trophy in the annual England vs Scotland game following its arrival in the UK in 1878.
Betting Odds
England are currently odds on favourite to win the game with 1/14 odds.
Scotland are at 8/1 and a draw is currently at 33/1.
Betting odds from William Hill
