PREVIEW: England vs Scotland
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Two years on from making history, Scotland return to Twickenham looking to rewrite the record books once again and deny Steve Borthwick a winning start as England head coach.
Gregor Townsend’s men earned a first success in south-west London since 1983 on their last visit to the English capital, and have now won three and drawn one of their last five clashes with England.
This time around, they will have to cope with a packed out stadium, with supporters unable to attend in 2021, while England will be under new leadership since Borthwick succeeded Eddie Jones.
The former England skipper worked alongside Jones both with Japan and then England, before departing to Leicester where he won the Premiership title last season.
Now, he and Kevin Sinfield are charged with re-energising an England side who have won just four matches over their last two Championship campaigns.
That includes successive defeats to Scotland in round one, with both Borthwick and Townsend aware of how crucial it will be to get some early momentum in the 2023 Guinness Six Nations – particularly with the world’s top two sides in the world rankings still to come.
Team News
Borthwick’s first big call was who to select as captain, with Owen Farrell getting the nod, then he needed to decide where to play him.
Injuries to Henry Slade and Elliot Daly may have forced his hand somewhat, but the new boss was not afraid to make a big call or two in his first selection.
Ollie Hassell-Collins will make his debut on the wing, while Joe Marchant lines up outside the Marcus Smith-Owen Farrell pairing, with no place in the 23 for Manu Tuilagi.
Up front, Ollie Chessum gets a chance in the second row next to Maro Itoje while Lewis Ludlam, Ben Curry and Alex Dombrandt start in a new-look back row.
Ollie Hassell-Collins will make his debut on the wing, while Joe Marchant lines up outside the Marcus Smith-Owen Farrell pairing, with no place in the 23 for Manu Tuilagi.
Up front, Ollie Chessum gets a chance in the second row next to Maro Itoje while Lewis Ludlam, Ben Curry and Alex Dombrandt start in a new-look back row.
Steve Borthwick has named the England Men side to face Scotland on Saturday in round one of the Guinness Six Nations 🌹
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 2, 2023
