Six Nations 2024: Scotland 'no longer Calcutta Cup underdogs', says Matt Dawson

Matt Dawson with Scotland's Andy Nicol in 2000

Scotland are no longer Calcutta Cup underdogs and "happy to carry the favourites tag", says former England captain Matt Dawson.

The Scots have won their past three Six Nations matches with England.

The sides meet at Murrayfield on Saturday in a game that will have a huge bearing on their respective Six Nations campaigns.

"The tide has somewhat changed in the last three years," Dawson told the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast.

"Scotland have probably been favourites and have shouldered that responsibility really well. That's not easy to do for any team, particularly in this modern era where everyone is underplaying themselves and everyone wants to be underdogs.

"You feel Scotland have had enough of that, they've had decades of being underdogs."

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Scotland are looking to bounce back after a controversial defeat by France in round two. The officials denied the hosts a match-winning try in the last play from Sam Skinner, and checked their momentum in the championship following victory over Wales.

England arrive at Murrayfield having won two from two against Italy and Wales. Steve Borthwick's side have won eight of their past nine Test matches, their only defeat a one-point loss in the World Cup semi-final against eventual champions South Africa.

Despite a growing sense that England may finally be starting to move in the right direction following years of underachievement, Dawson believes Gregor Townsend and his players carry none of the fear of facing their Calcutta Cup rivals that may have affected Scotland sides in years gone by.

"Gregor's instilled this [attitude of] be happy to carry the favourites tag and expect to win against the big sides," said Dawson, a World Cup winner in 2003.

"That doesn't mean that you're always going to win but it gives you a huge amount of confidence and I feel that Scotland are a bit more like that than England.

"History is always going to tell you that England are arrogant and over-confident, but I don't see that from the England side. If anything I see that confidence coming from Scotland rather than England and when it's managed and kind of bottled up it's a heck of a weapon to have.

"If you can create that aura around you, which I do believe Scotland are making massive strides towards, it's very difficult to go into their backyard and win."

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