Maro Itoje will return to England as captain in Saturday’s Calcutta Cup match against Scotland.
Itoje started on the bench in Saturday’s 48-7 win over Wales following the death of his mother, but was recalled to the starting lineup as one of two changes made by Steve Borthwick ahead of the trip to Murrayfield.
The England captain, who replaces Alex Coles in the second row, received a huge welcome when he came on as a 50th-minute substitute at the Allianz Stadium, but was dismissed almost immediately due to his team’s repeated fouls.
Jamie George, who had acted as captain in Itoje’s absence, was replaced by hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie in another substitution.
Northampton fly-half Finn Smith missed the game against Wales with a calf problem but has recovered and replaced Marcus Smith on the bench, but the trip to Murrayfield comes too soon for Olly Lawrence despite the Bath center returning to training following a knee injury.
With Immanuel Fay-Waboso out due to a hamstring injury, Tom Roebuck and Henry Arundel, who just scored a hat-trick against Wales, will remain on the wings.
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James Cole reports from Pennyhill Park as England prepare for this weekend’s Six Nations Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland.
England will be aiming for their first win since 2020 in Edinburgh after breaking Scotland’s four-year drought in the Calcutta Cup with a 16-15 win at Twickenham last February.
Borthwick, who is yet to win at Murrayfield as England head coach, said ahead of his 144th meeting with Scotland: “Playing against Scotland at Murrayfield is always a great opportunity and a challenge that we enjoy.”
“We have made a good start to the championship, but we know we must continue to raise the standards even further. The team has been training with focus and determination this week and we are looking forward to the opportunity to test ourselves again on Saturday.”
England national team plays against Scotland
Starting XV: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Tommy Freeman, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Henry Arundel, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell. 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3 Joe Hayes, 4 Maro Itoje (captain), 5 Ollie Chetham, 6 Guy Pepper, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Ben Earl.
Substitutes: 16 Jamie George, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Trevor Davison, 19 Alex Coles, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Ben Spencer, 23 Finn Smith.
‘England face Murrayfield litmus test’
Sky Sports News’ James Cole said at Pennyhill Park:
“England are on a roll with 12 wins in a row, but Scotland have been a problem of late.They have won three of the last four Calcutta Cup matches in Edinburgh, with England last winning the trophy in 2020.
“England have made great progress over the past 18 months and this match provides another important measure of their progress under Borthwick.
“We will have a real litmus test whether they can win on the cauldron at Murrayfield. The pressure is on Scotland and head coach Gregor Townsend after the defeat in Italy.”
England 2026 Six Nations fixtures
always UK and Ireland
England 48-7 Wales (Saturday 7th February) – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham v Scotland (Saturday 14th February) – Murrayfield (4.40pm) v Ireland (Saturday 21st February) – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (2.10pm) v Italy (Saturday 7th March) – Rome’s Stadio Olimpico (4.40pm) v France (Saturday 14th March) – Stade des Frances, Paris (8:10pm)
