'Blind, beating-your-chest fury' not answer - Itoje

Finn Russell has scored 415 Test points since making his Scotland debut in 2014

Guinness Men's Six Nations: England v Scotland

Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham Date: Saturday, 22 February Kick-off: 16:45 GMT

Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Scotland & BBC Sounds, live text and highlights on BBC Sport website and app; watch on ITV1

England must control their emotions to help "create a new story" in Calcutta Cup history when they face Scotland on Saturday, says captain Maro Itoje.

Scotland are targeting a record fifth successive win over England when the sides renew their rivalry in an "absolutely huge" Six Nations match at Allianz Stadium.

England have not beaten Gregor Townsend's side since a 2020 victory at Murrayfield and have not won at Twickenham since 2017.

Duhan van der Merwe scored one of the tournament's greatest ever tries in Scotland's most recent visit to Twickenham and followed that up with a hat-trick in last year's win.

But Steve Borthwick's side go into this weekend's match with their title hopes alive - and possibly as favourites - following a morale-boosting 26-25 win over pre-tournament favourites France.

"We are not happy about our recent history against Scotland," Itoje told BBC Sport. "This is an opportunity to create a new story and narrative.

"All the games have been equally as annoying and painful.

"From our point of view, we need to make sure our mentality is right first and foremost and we need to make sure that we have a level of accuracy and execution that allows us to take the opportunities when they come."

The Saracens lock is known for his enthusiasm and emotion on the pitch, which is often seen when his side wins penalties.

He wants his side to be "full of emotion" but does not want "blind emotion" as he says that can affect a team's accuracy.

"You don't want blind rage and you don't want blind, beating-your-chest fury, but you need some of that," the 30-year-old said.

"Rugby is not a game of brute force alone, you need accuracy and you need to have the composure to identify space and execute.

"Rugby is an emotional game. In my humble opinion, it is a game that requires more emotion than most other sports because of the nature of what we do.

"This is an absolutely huge game. It is a brilliant opportunity to change the narrative there and get England back to winning the Calcutta Cup."

England not solely focused on Russell

Scotland fly-half Finn Russell has been declared fit to play after being concussed in a collision with team-mate Darcy Graham during the defeat by Ireland on 9 February.

The Bath playmaker has been instrumental in Scotland's recent successes, delivering the 'Pass of the Century' to release Huw Jones for a clean break during Scotland's 25-13 win that finally regained the Calcutta Cup in 2018.

The fly-half followed that with a try-scoring, man-of-the-match performance at Twickenham in 2019 as he dragged Scotland level in a thrilling 38-38 draw, before another superb display featuring an assist for Van der Merwe's crucial try two years later helped the visitors to a first win since 1983 at the home of English rugby.

In 2022, Russell's clever cross-field kick forced England into conceding a penalty try in Scotland's 20-17 win at Murrayfield and, last year, another perfectly weighted kick wide handed Van der Merwe a hat-trick in a fourth consecutive Scottish victory.

"We all know Finn's a good player and he requires a certain amount of attention," said Itoje.

"[But] just as with France, same with Scotland, you can't focus on any one player."

"Rugby is, in my opinion, the greatest team game there is and no-one can do it all by themselves.

"Whilst we need to make him [Russell] have a bad day at the office, we also have to pay respect to their back row, wingers, tight five, his inside-back partners.

"They have a number of threats throughout their team. They're all good players and play rugby at a high level. We need to have a consistent approach through the whole game."