How to beat Scotland? Pick the old boys and bring back Tuilagi

Murrayfield visit will be the acid test for Borthwick and his players after an indifferent start to the Six Nations

The forthcoming Calcutta Cup is a disproportionately large test for Steve Borthwick’s England team. Despite finishing third in last year’s World Cup the jury is still out on what, if any, genuine progress England have made under Borthwick.
Against Italy and Wales, they showed elements of improvement, and they overcame self-inflicted adversity to record narrow wins. It will be different in Edinburgh on Saturday, even though Scotland are ranked one place below England in the world rankings.
Barring a, let us say, questionable non-try decision against the French, Gregor Townsend’s side could also have been approaching the third round of the tournament unbeaten. Their first-half dominance against the Welsh showed what they can do if Finn Russell is allowed to play with consistent front-foot ball and they constitute a more difficult challenge than anything England faced in the World Cup and first two rounds of this tournament.
When you add the Murrayfield factor and the fact that England have won only one out of the past six Calcutta encounters, this is a big challenge for England. Win and they set up the improbable, but not impossible, notion of beating Ireland at Twickenham and being the only side able to win a Grand Slam. Lose, in any manner that is not marginal, and it is not illegitimate to question just what real progress the side have made under Borthwick.
England should not fear this challenge, they should respect it and relish it, if recent confident pronouncements have any substance. 
All but one of the past seven Calcutta Cup meetings have ended with a winning margin of seven points or fewer, with one draw. I see no reason to suppose that the forthcoming game will not be similarly close and this is bound to introduce an element of tactical nervousness. Scotland, as the home side, probably start marginal favourites and until we see the day’s weather it is not possible to be absolute in proclaiming a game plan that can succeed.
Assuming the conditions are at least reasonable it is easier to start with a few things England must not do. Any repeat of their defensive narrowness, that cost two tries in Rome, will prove much more difficult to claw back against Scotland. Any repeat of their tackling indiscipline, that resulted in two men sent to the sin-bin at Twickenham, will almost certainly put the game beyond their reach. These are things Borthwick should have been able to address in the two-week break since the Wales game.
Less easily rectified is the problem of limited ball-carrying capacity. England have to ask more questions of opponents’ set defences. The potential return of Manu Tuilagi would immediately introduce a power variable that Scotland could not ignore. Add to this England’s back three offering themselves as potential, or decoy, carriers more often and the whole proposition is different for Steve Tandy, Scotland’s defensive coach. If Borthwick were to be brave and start Chandler Cunningham-South, he could add another back-row carrier to the mix and take some pressure off Ben Earl as the primary maker of yards.
This game, because of its significance to the tournament and England’s recent record in this fixture, is as much about psychology as tactics. Murrayfield is not a large ground. One side of the pitch is much further away from the touchline then the other and sometimes it can feel barren. When Scotland get on top, it is the most transformative of stadiums and England must, as an absolute minimum, not start badly.
For this reason, I would consider picking England’s strongest scrummaging front row of Joe Marler, Jamie George and Dan Cole. It is not that Will Stuart has underperformed at tighthead, but if England have a chance of getting on top in this important set-piece, better that they do it early and, as they now always say, paint the right picture for Andrew Brace, the referee.
It is, perhaps, cliched to say that Scotland are a confidence side. Like most teams they flourish with certainty, but unlike the world’s elite they do not ride out periods of doubt without displaying distinct vulnerability, and their recent history is littered with promise, partial fulfilment and maddening retrenchment.
What it must be to be a Scotland supporter and with each good performance hope that previous weaknesses have been eradicated. It is the hope that kills you. What it is to be a Borthwick and England supporter will shortly take either a large leap or a depressing fall.