England vs Scotland Preview & Prediction | 2023 Six Nations Championship
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THE FACTS
When is England vs Scotland on and what time does it start? England vs Scotland will take place on Saturday 4th February, 2023 – 16:45 (UK)
Where is England vs Scotland taking place? England vs Scotland will take place at Twickenham in London, England
Where can I get tickets for England vs Scotland? Ticket information for England vs Scotland can be found on each nation’s official website
What channel is England vs Scotland on in the UK? Television coverage is shared between BBC and ITV so it is worth checking their schedules for England vs Scotland
Where can I stream England vs Scotland in the UK? If televised live on BBC, England vs Scotland can be streamed live on iPlayer, while ITVX is the place to go if the match is on ITV
THE TEAM NEWS
ENGLAND
- England opted to move on from Eddie Jones ahead of this year’s Rugby World Cup and will now begin life under new head coach Steve Borthwick who will receive a baptism of fire in this Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland.
- Borthwick has opted to stick with Owen Farrell as his captain but he will line-up in the centres while there is no place for Manu Tuilagi in his first matchday squad with Joe Marchant taking his spot while Ollie Hassell-Collins will debut on the wing.
Starting XV: Steward; Malins, Marchant, Farrell, Hassell-Collins; Smith, Van Poortvliet; Genge, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Chessum, Ludlam, B. Curry, Dombrandt
Replacements: Walker, M. Vunipola, Cole, Isiekwe, Earl, Youngs, Lawrence, Watson
SCOTLAND
- Scotland have won the last two meetings and will look to get this Six Nations campaign off to a strong start as they aim to topple their rivals at Twickenham, a venue at which they have avoided defeat on their last two visits.
- Gregor Townsend has a strong squad to choose from but he will not have Lions duo Hamish Watson and Zander Fagerson at his disposal with the pair needing longer to prove their fitness.
Starting XV: Hogg; Steyn, Jones, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe; Russell, White; Schoeman, Turner, Nel; R. Gray, Gilchrist; Ritchie, Crosbie, M. Fagerson
Replacements: Brown, Bhatti, Berghan, J. Gray, Dempsey, Horne, Kinghorn, Harris
THE PREDICTION
England will begin a new era under Steve Borthwick as they take on Scotland in their opening Six Nations contest with the Calcutta Cup also at stake. England have struggled to overcome the Scots in recent clashes but will head into this with renewed optimism. Borthwick has made a few surprise calls with the new boss opting for players in form rather than based on their reputation and he will hope it works out for him. For Scotland, they have won just three of their last eight games but performed admirably in some tough games over the summer and autumn and will take heart from those efforts. However, England will have a point to prove here and with the bit between their teeth, they can overcome their rivals in this one.