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The comment that left me wanting to PUNCH Sir Ian McGeechan in the face, the big danger facing England this weekend...
and the three key clashes that will decide the Calcutta Cup: SIR CLIVE WOODWARD England are on a high after beating France but have lost their last four matches against Scotland Join Mail+ to get ahead of the game with Rugby Confidential every Wednesday and Chris Foy's World of Rugby every Monday By SIR CLIVE WOODWARD Published: 12:00 GMT, 21 February 2025 | Updated: 12:06 GMT, 21 February 2025 e-mail View comments A lot has been made in the build-up to this year’s Calcutta Cup about how much the game means to Scotland’s players and supporters. I’m not dismissing that by any means. But contrary to what some believe, I also think it’s just as big if you’re English.
There is so much history in this match. It matters hugely. I’m speaking from personal experience here.
My best game as a player and my worst moment as a coach both game against Scotland, so I know all about the highs and lows the Calcutta Cup can bring. In 1980, I produced what was undoubtedly my best performance in an England shirt at Murrayfield as we beat the Scots 30-18 to win what was then the Five Nations Grand Slam. It was the first time England had recorded a clean sweep in 23 years, so it was a huge result for the whole country and 80 minutes I’ll never forget.
On the back of that match, I was selected for the 1980 Lions to South Africa a month later. In 2000, 20 years later, the boot was on the other foot. The England team I was coaching was going for a Grand Slam in Edinburgh against a Scottish side who hadn’t won a game to that point.
Everyone was expecting an England win – including the players and the coaches if I’m honest – but the week’s training wasn’t what it needed to be and we paid the price. Scotland shocked my England side in the Calcutta Cup to deny us a Grand Slam in 2000 The shock defeat in Edinburgh was the lowest point of my coaching career Sir Ian McGeechan asked why I was miserable afterwards and I could have punched him! Scotland’s 19-13 victory was undoubtedly the lowest point of my coaching career, predominantly because so much was expected of us. No-one could see Scotland winning.
But boy did they upset the applecart, with Duncan Hodge scoring all their points. Scotland thoroughly deserved to win. I learned so much from that week in the long run.
I could sense something wasn’t quite right in the build-up. I tried everything I could as coach to get things back on track, but couldn’t do it. Martin Johnson hadn’t played in any of the games up to that Scotland match.
He was available for the Grand Slam decider, but I left him out. We still had two very good locks in Garath Archer and Simon Shaw, but of course because we lost the game there were lots of questions over why I’d left Johnson out. At the final whistle, the then Scotland coach Sir Ian McGeechan came up to me in the pouring Edinburgh rain.
As we shook hands, he said to me: ‘Why do you look so miserable? We should both be happy. You’ve won the Championship and we’ve won the Calcutta Cup.’ I could have punched him! It was so disappointing.
We were in no mood to celebrate as an England team having lost when so much was expected of us. We were all sulking in the Murrayfield changing rooms when there was a knock on the door and we were told we had to come out and collect the trophy because Princess Anne was waiting. Geech and I ended up having quite a few drinks together that night at the post-match function in an Edinburgh hotel.
The post-match hospitality as always was superb, but I just couldn’t get over it. We had responded to the previous year’s World Cup disappointment so well and played some incredible rugby, only to blow it in Scotland. All I could think to myself during the function was: ‘Get me out of here!’ I now have a picture of my wife and granddaughters as my laptop screensaver, but for nearly 20 years it was the image of Scotland and their captain Andy Nicol celebrating in 2000.
It reminded me to keep my feet firmly on the ground and never take anything for granted. And that’s what England’s class of 2025 need to do, predominantly because as it was a quarter of a century ago, everyone expects them to win this weekend. That’s a dangerous position to be in, as I well know! If Saturday's game had been in Edinburgh, I think it would have been a 50:50 call.
But after beating France at home, England should be confident of another Twickenham win. England are on a high after beating France but have a wretched recent record against Scotland Gregor Townsend will demand a response from his Scotland side after losing to Ireland, but I still expect England to win on Saturday England must not take victory for granted, though, or they will come unstuck Recent history tells you that will be tough given Scotland have won the last four meetings between the two sides. That is remarkable really given that traditionally, England have dominated the fixture and certainly since rugby went professional.
Scotland won’t fear coming to Twickenham. They are nowhere near as poor a side as they were 25 years ago. In fact, Gregor Townsend has several players who will be with the Lions in Australia this summer, but as a collective unit England should prevail.
However, they must not – and I don’t think they will – take anything as a given. The 2000 game shows the perils of doing exactly that. England to win by a margin of 10 to 15 points.
Sir Clive Woodward’s key England vs Scotland head-to-heads Fin Smith vs Finn Russell Smith got all the plaudits after England’s win over France. He deserved them, but what’s encouraging is I still think he can improve. You have to remember, the French game was his first Test start at No 10 so there is still huge growth to come in his game.
Smith looks a proper Test match player to me. He does things very differently to Scottish playmaker Russell. But the Northampton man won’t be overawed, especially as he went up against Russell in last season’s Gallagher Premiership final at Twickenham and won.
Russell has recovered from a head injury suffered against Ireland and that is good news for Scotland. Fin Smith impressed in his first Test start against France last time out Finn Russell will be hoping to bounce back after going off with a head injury against Ireland Ollie Chessum vs Grant Gilchrist Chessum is into the starting XV because George Martin isn’t fit and I’m sensing a big performance from him. Chessum will, I’m sure, have been frustrated by minimal game time at international level in the last year, predominantly due to injury, so I think he’ll be firing on all cylinders.
Alongside captain Maro Itoje, he will want to tear into a Scottish pack that was weak to say the least against Ireland. England must, must stamp their authority up front to change their woeful recent Calcutta Cup record. The battle between Ollie Chessum (left) and Grant Gilchrist (right) promises to be intriguing Tom Willis vs Jack Dempsey With much of the focus on the result and Smith in the aftermath of the France win, I think Willis’ performance went under the radar.
The No 8 continued the fine ball-carrying form he’s been showing at club level with Saracens, making an impressive 16 tackles and beating five defenders on his first Test start. If England are to bully the Scottish pack, they’ll need another repeat performance from Willis. Alongside him, I must also give credit to English back-rows Tom Curry and Ben Earl who have both been in top form so far this Six Nations.
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