Strong anthems as you'd expect. Italy only slightly let down by the absence of Gigi Buffon.

Italy head coach Conor O'Shea, speaking to ITV about whether they will use the 'no ruck' tactic employed against England:  "We will play to the rules. We worked a lot and gave ourselves a chance to win against England. We didn't win but we need to make sure small things go our way.

"There might be variation on that tactic. We want to start creating our own identity over time. We want to give ourselves a chance to win - not just be competitive.

"France are an outstanding side. We are realistic about the path we have to travel. We were up at half-time against Wales and England - it was no fluke. 

"We have to continue to grow. This isn't a must win game, it is about giving ourselves a chance to win."

France winning the tournament may be something of a pipe dream. They have lost their last five away games after all. 

But two wins in their final two games would at least give France a shot of finishing in the top three for the first time since 2011, and give coach Guy Noves something to build on before a bruising summer tour to South Africa.

It looks like a glorious afternoon in Rome for our first game of the day.

France still retain - for now at least - a tiny interest in the destiny of this season's Six Nations and a win here would leave them as very interested spectators for the later game at Twickenham. 

Image source, Getty Images

Realistic? No.

Romantic? Sure.

Let's get the show on the road. 

Before we get into all things England v Scotland though, France and Italy are preparing for battle in a balmy Rome.

Over to Tom Rostance for that one.

Image source, Getty Images

Stuart Barnes - a maverick fly-half kept from collecting more than a handful of England caps by the steady boot of Rob Andrew - says that he has changed his opinion about Swing Low.

"Pompous and irrelevant" was his take in the mid-nineties.

But, writing in the Times this week,, external he was taking the long view.

"Songs evolve, spirituals are no exception. They are neither tied down to place nor event. Like language, lyrics find a way to live, to maintain their relevance long after they were written."

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

There was a curveball in the middle of the build-up this week when the New York Times turned its attention to Swing Low Sweet Chariot.

"For many in the United States, its forlorn lyrics invoking the darkness of slavery and the sustained oppression of a race," they wrote., external

"But here, across the Atlantic, the song has developed a parallel existence, unchanged in form but utterly different in function, as a boisterous drinking song turned sports anthem."

The song's emergence at Twickenham in the early 90s alongside the rise of black wing Chris Oti is referenced along with various American academics describing England fans' adoption of the song as "sad" and "ignorant".

BBC Radio 5 live commentary from Twickenham begins with build-up from 15:00 GMT.

Image source, Getty

Scotland have not won at Twickenham since 1983 - before the current pound coin was even in circulation.

Now, as we prepare for the introduction of a funky 12-sided piece of premier shrapnel,  Stuart Hogg says this Scotland team is the one that will finally end the drought.

"We're no longer a team that just turns up, lies down and allows our bellies to be tickled," said the 24-year-old.

"We're very much in a position to come down here and win, and nothing is going to come in our way."  

Image source, Getty Images

"Better never stops."

That was the slightly clunky motto that TeamGB carried into the London 2012 Olympics.

Eddie Jones' search for marginal gains is more to do with how England start.

BBC chief sports writer Tom Fordyce spells out the problem.

"Scoreless at home  against Italy  after 20 minutes, struggling to kick from hand, giving away set-piece penalties; 9-3 down  to France,  with a man in the sin bin; 10-0 down to Australia last autumn after 17 minutes, their opponents with 97% of the territory and 87% of the possession," he writes.

"It goes further back. Down against South Africa earlier in the autumn, six penalties conceded in the first 21 minutes. Two tries conceded in the first 20 minutes in the third of the summer Tests against the Wallabies, 10-0 down after 15 minutes of the first."

Jones' response?

"We're preparing to start well. We're not preparing not to start well."

Quite.

Image source, Getty

Is greater than or equal to....

Image source, Getty Images

How do you like those maths?

England are one win away from an 18th successive Test victory - equalling the record for a top-tier nations set by the All Blacks in October 2016.

Of course, New Zealand's winning run was ended in their next match by Ireland.

England's next opponents? Ireland.

Tom Fordyce
Chief sports writer at Twickenham

Image source, PA

An absolute doozy of an afternoon in south-west London ahead of the Calcutta Cup, warm spring sunshine, not a waft of wind.

Perfect conditions for poetic rugby, perfect conditions for pre-match beverages in pub beer-gardens and stadium surrounds. Pink blossom on the suburban trees, white skin on kilted knees.

Image source, BBC Sport

Whatever twists and turns this season's Six Nations championships take, let BBC Sport be your guide with notifications direct to your phone.

The latest news, views, reaction and action from the heart of the tournament will be delivered straight to your phone so you are always first to know.

Whichever team you are supporting, it is the best way to stay one step ahead of your rivals.

Simply head over to the notifications section in the BBC Sport app menu, tap through sports news and add rugby union. And that's it.

BBC Radio 5 live

Those 5 live boys are so psyched for today's Calcutta Cup that they are in position a good four hours before kick-off.

Matt Dawson (left in the tweet below) and Gavin Hastings (definitely not on the right in the tweet below) will be providing their analysis, while Ian Robertson and Chris Jones carve up the commentary along similar Anglo-Scottish lines.

They go live from Twickenham at 15:00 GMT.

Image source, Getty Images

And this is how Saturday's fixtures roll out.

Italy v France 13:30 GMT

England v Scotland 16:00 GMT

These are those title permutations set down and spelt out. This will be on the test.

• If England beat Scotland on Saturday they will retain the title
• Victory for Scotland could send them top of the table with a game to play
• If France beat Italy and England lose, mathematically five teams would still be in with a shout
• There is one final round of games after Saturday's matches

Image source, Rex Features

Come 18:00 GMT tonight, the chase could be up.

England are just a win away from retaining the Six Nations title and closing the door on the chasing pack.

However, as Sir Mix-a-lot observed, external , a big but makes things more interesting.

A Scotland victory at Twickenham today, combined with France beating Italy in Rome, would send us into the final weekend with five teams still in with a shout of lifting the pot.

Let's get into it. 

Image source, Rex Features

Re-run the Facebook live fun with a quick click on the play button below.

Now, time to get started properly.