Scottish Rugby

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Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend, speaking to BBC Scotland: "I'm proud of how we played today. In the first half, our execution was very good - our contact work was outstanding.

"We created opportunities. We scored three tries and will look back and think we could have scored more. In a lot of ways it was a better performance than we've had down here when we've won.

"England defended very well. They are very good in their own 22. Credit goes to them. With that amount of possession we're normally good at converting into points. Today we didn't do that often enough.

"Finn was a big part of us getting three tries. He has kicked a lot of very important points for us in the past.

"The reality is we didn't win and are likely now not going to win the championship. It's a performance we can build on over the next two rounds."

England edged towards the business end of the Six Nations in contention for the title as Finn Russell missed a 79th-minute conversion and Scotland's Calcutta Cup winning streak ended at Allianz Stadium.

What did you think of that, Scotland fans? Where did it go wrong at Twickenham?

Let us know your thoughts here., external

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Scotland co-captain Rory Darge told BBC Scotland: "We scored more tries, but to be honest there were a lot of opportunities that we didn't make the most of.

"Part of that is England defended well, but we know we made enough opportunities to win that game, we maybe just didn't execute.

"It is tough. It was a big game in terms of the championship and obviously it's Scotland-England. We're gutted we couldn't get a win.

"There's no excuse for a drop-off now. We need to deliver in the next two games."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Co-captain Rory Darge insists barbs this week from the English media about Scotland's forward pack has not provided any extra motivation for Saturday's Calcutta Cup showdown at Twickenham.

After being physically outmuscled in the defeat to Ireland in round two of the Six Nations, several pundits have predicted England will have the edge in the physical stakes, with former World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward saying in a newspaper column he expected the English pack to "monster" their opponents and "win with a bit to spare".

"It's not something we use as fuel, certainly I don't," Darge said before a game both sides need to win to keep their title hopes alive.

"It's something you should be proud of; what you do as a forward pack. It's always an important factor of the game, isn't it, the physicality between the two packs.

"It's not something we'll shy away from, but it's not necessarily something that we use. I don't think there's any reason for added fuel.

"Historically it's always been a game that as a fan you watch with more interest than others and now that you're actually playing in it, sometimes you have to take any moment you can to reflect on the fact that you're actually involved in one now.

"But the absolute main driver is obviously the fact it's a Six Nations game and if we win, we get four or five points."

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

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On Gregor Townsend's watch, the Calcutta Cup has been a riot of brilliance and tries. In his seven games coaching against England - of which Scotland have lost just one - his team have scored a whopping 19 tries.

To get some perspective on those numbers, consider this. In the 19 Calcutta Cups that went before, Scotland were kept tryless 10 times and scored a total of just 14 tries.

The difference in eras is stark. Scotland haven't just scored buckets of tries in this game - Duhan van der Merwe has six and Huw Jones has five - they've scored buckets of classic tries, so many that I'm going to have a stab at rating them, from 10 to one.

Agree or disagree with the selections or the running order, but we can surely agree on one thing: each one was a total belter.

10 Ben White, Murrayfield 2022: Blink and you'll miss it opportunism. Darcy Graham motors and then turns Joe Marchant inside out before finding White, on his debut. Simple, but delicious. England torn apart.

9 Stuart McInally, Twickenham 2019: Scotland were being blitzed 31-0 at Twickenham. Just before half-time, Stuart McInally charged down Owen Farrell 65m from the England posts and then picked up and ran. The hooker had wing Jonny May in pursuit, but May couldn't live with him. Over went McInally, out came the oxygen mask for the exhausted hero and back Scotland came in one of the great fightbacks.

8 Duhan van der Merwe's first, Murrayfield 2024: Unstoppable Jones accelerates through a gap and England are on the back foot in major bother. Two scrambling Englishmen eventually bring the centre to the ground but in a blur, Jones offloads on the floor to the on-rushing wing.

7 Duhan van der Merwe's second, Murrayfield 2024: England attacking, a loose pass bounces off George Furbank's face and goes to ground. Jones is onto it. From the deck he finds Van der Merwe who has half of Murrayfield to cover and absolute certainty in his eyes that he's going to cover it. Henry Slade reaches out forlornly to stop him like a man about to lose his grip on a cliff edge and away the big fella went.

6 Huw Jones, Murrayfield 2018: A sensational solo score. Jones has been a monumental force in Calcutta Cups. Exploding through a gap between Nathan Hughes and Owen Farrell, Jones darted into the England 22 where Mike Brown and Anthony Watson looked set to clobber him. Jones was having none of it. He just took them with him over the line.

5 Sam Johnson, Twickenham 2019: A gorgeous moment from Finn Russell, whose eyes suggested he was passing deep only to hit Sam Johnson with a flat ball. It's just terrific deception and skill. Johnson flew away, stepped Jack Nowell and held off Elliot Daly to score, From 31-0 down to leading 38-31. Spine-tingling.

4 Duhan van der Merwe, Twickenham 2021: A seismic victory, the first at Twickenham since 1983 and sealed with a razor-sharp score. A Russell bomb is won in the air by Sean Maitland. Matt Fagerson carries like a demon over the gainline. Scotland see space on the other side of the pitch. It comes to Van der Merwe who batters through Elliot Daly, Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola for the decisive and historic score.

3 Duhan van der Merwe's first, Twickenham 2023: England were told not to kick loosely to Scotland, but they did and the wing ran it straight back at them for one of the greatest solo tries the tournament has ever seen.

He beat Joe Marchant and Ollie Chessum, he eluded Freddie Steward and Jack van Poortvliet and then did Alex Dombrandt for good measure. Five defenders beaten in one mesmeric play. Unforgettable.

2 Sean Maitland, Murrayfield 2018: It'll be remembered for Russell's pass to Jones, the moment of sheer audacity and excellence that sparked an incredible breakout. That on its own was a wow moment, but then Scotland went the length of the pitch to score.

It then came down to Russell to float the try-scoring pass to Maitland, which he did with apparent ease. It was anything but easy. It was wondrous, from first second to last.

1 Duhan van der Merwe's second, Twickenham 2023: One of the great team tries. Time was running out and Scotland were in their own half. From there - perfection. The speed of the attacks, the accuracy of the work, backs and forwards eating up yards while playing heads-up rugby. Joyous.

The last act told you everything. Having pulled England this way and that, they struck for glory. Fraser Brown fed Richie Gray who flipped it on to Matt Fagerson, who put Van der Merwe loose. The colossus had to beat Marcus Smith, Owen Farrell and Max Malins. Easy and extraordinary at the same time.

We asked for your views on Scotland's squad selection to face England.

Here's what some of you said:

Henry: Typical flawed selection by Gregor Townsend. No George Horne. Go ask Franco Smith who he would have as his number nine. Matt Fagerson on the bench replaced by flakey Jamie Ritchie who wouldn't get a game for Glasgow. Jonny Gray a lumbering defensive lock with no nasty ball-carrying ability. Sadly Scott Cummings and Max Williamson not fit but Sam Skinner is. Time for Franco Smith.

James: Great move bringing Ritchie in. People forget that at his best, he is one of the best. But something he brings that very few seem to bring is leadership. Where other players match his playing abilities, they do not match his leadership abilities. Fun stat: since losing the captaincy, the only games Scotland have won are the ones where he starts.

Robbie: If Finn Russell is to be our first-choice 10 he has to produce high level performances consistently. He rarely does. One good game in three is not good enough. Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley performant at a high level consistently.

Anon: Selection much to be expected. But not sure on 6-2 split on the bench. We got caught out against the Irish, we played a scrum half on the wing for 60 minutes.

Duncan: What does Horne have to do to get a start? Ben White is too slow at the breakdown.

Doug: Happy to see Finn is starting, it's a shame for Darcy Graham but hopefully he's back in the starting 15 for the last two games. I would have dropped a forward from the replacements and had Cameron Redpath on the bench though.

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Gregor Townsend was keen to play down Scotland's prospects heading into this weekend's Calcutta Cup showdown, despite boasting an impressive record in the fixture himself.

Of his seven Calcutta Cup matches as head coach, he has won five, drawn one and lost only one, however, the 51-year-old remained diplomatic when asked if that stellar track record has changed the psychology around this fixture from a Scotland point of view.

"No, this is a very tough fixture," he said. "Playing at Twickenham is always one of our hardest games and in recent years we've got on the right side of the result.

"But they've been very close games and we've had to play very, very well to get those wins. So we know that's what we'll have to do on Saturday."

Last year's 30-21 win at Murrayfield made it four straight wins against the Auld Enemy for the first time since 1896, which would suggest the squad could potentially turn up to Twicken unphased by the fear factor the venue used to hold.

Townsend was equally as keen to dismiss any suggestion this would be on the player's minds.

He added: "Well, I'm not sure if there was a fear factor.

"I think it was just a place over history that had been very tough for us because England are always a strong team.

"This group of players have had the experience of winning at Twickenham, which can help as you prepare for the game. But the reality is what happens in the 80 minutes and we know it's going to be a very tough match."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has been speaking to the media ahead of Scotland's Six Nations match against England at Twickenham on Saturday.

Here's the best of what Townsend had to say:

• The defeat to Ireland in round two, rather than any history around the Calcutta Cup, is what has focused the players' minds this week as they want to "improve from our game against Ireland."

• Pleased to have Finn Russell fit and available. Calcutta Cup matches have brought out the best in him. "Finn loves it, the competitive side of it," he says, adding that Russell revels in the close, competitive games as well, saying "he's enjoyed those games that have gone to the wire as well"

• Darcy Graham was symptom-free two days on from his concussion against Ireland but was left out of the squad for England because "we felt it wasn't right to bring him into full contact this week", adding that Saturday's opponents will "be very confident in where the game is".

• England have threats "all over the place", especially the "very dangerous" duo of Fin Smith and Marcus Smith, but knows there are threats all over the field, "but they've got some really good players outside of that as well," he adds.

• Scotland will bring the necessary passion against England, but must also "be calm amongst the chaos" at Twickenham.

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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Ah, the heady days of pre-Six Nations optimism. The days when true believers thought that at least 12 Scots would be on the plane to Australia as British & Irish Lions.

Round two's match-up was a real audition against Ireland, in front of the watchful eyes of head coach Andy Farrell. Sadly for the Scots, some of them won't be getting a phone call.

Therefore the Calcutta Cup acts as a second chance, an opportunity to show that Ireland was just a blip. Although, you imagine, not one of the players will be thinking about that as they step out onto the pitch.

Gregor Townsend's team selection does not greatly surprise. There are three changes, only one enforced.

Pierre Schoeman is back in the front row to offer his heft from the first whistle. The plan to spring the loosehead from the bench late on against Ireland did not work as, by the time he'd arrived, the damage had been done.

Jamie Ritchie is in for Matt Fagerson, both eying a potential trip to the Southern Hemisphere in the summer. The younger Fagerson is one of Scotland's most under-rated players but the Scots faltered at the breakdown against Ireland and Ritchie has been brought in for his nous in that area.

Finally, Kyle Rowe is in for a second Six Nations start following the head injury to Darcy Graham.

Although the fleet-footed Edinburgh winger has passed all of his head injury assessments and his concussion symptoms have subsided, common sense has prevailed.

"Darcy is progressing well, he's onto the next stage of training but we felt this week was too early to do full contact," Townsend told SRU media. "We're giving him that extra week to recover."

Finn Russell, the other Scot involved in the sickening head clash that ended both of their games against Ireland - and perhaps Scotland's chances - will co-captain.

He passed his HIA on the day, but Townsend and his staff made the call to remove him anyway. A sensible call, but one that highlights the need to scrutinise the current HIA process.

It is simplistic to say Scotland's chances rely solely on Russell firing on all cylinders, but if they are to record a historic fifth consecutive victory over England, he will have to be instrumental.

Finn Russell has been passed fit to start against England after his head knock in the last round of the Six Nations, but mercurial winger Darcy Graham misses out. Kyle Rowe starts in his place.

In the forwards, former captain Jamie Ritchie has replaced Matt Fagerson in the back-row while Pierre Schoeman returns to loosehead prop.

Are you confident that this selection can best England at Twickenham? Would you have made any other changes?

Let us know your thoughts here., external

BBC Scotland's Andy Burke has been answering some of your Scottish rugby questions.

Mark asked: With George Horne injured, were you surprised to see Ali Price - off-form at Edinburgh - called up? Is it a backwards step? Same question regarding the exclusion of try scorer extraordinaire Johnny Mathews...

Andy answered: Price was a brilliant scrum-half at his peak, especially when playing himself into the starting nine jersey on the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa.

The problem is, Price has been playing far short of that level for a long time now. He fell down the pecking order at Glasgow, was shipped off to Edinburgh and has hardly set the world alight along the M8.

Price has also found his Scotland opportunities limited with the emergence of Ben White and Jamie Dobie and the form of Horne, but Gregor Townsend has always been willing to give him a chance to rediscover his best stuff.

He picked Price to start against Fiji in November, describing him as "the form Scottish scrum-half", which raised a few eyebrows. The scrum-half was not seen again for the rest of the autumn.

I would be very surprised to see Price feature against England, but with Townsend's team selections you're never quite sure.

As for Johnny Matthews? Unfortunately for him, he's one of those faces that just doesn't fit for the Scotland management.

The coaches are thought to feel Matthews lacks the requisite physicality at Test level, and yet Franco Smith, a man who demands that very attribute from all his players, has no problem starting him at hooker most weeks for the URC champions.

It's a curious situation, especially given how light Scotland look in the hooker department right now...

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Former England winger Chris Ashton believes Scotland's Gregor Townsend has become a victim of his own success as Scotland head coach.

Townsend, 51, took over in 2017 and his impressive win percentage as boss puts him among the top three Scotland coaches of all time.

"For Scotland, there's pressure on Gregor," Ashton told the Scottish Rugby Podcast. "The team that he has have maybe excelled more than what they should have done. It's a really small player pool to pick from.

"Maybe we're looking at it the wrong way. Maybe Gregor has really exceeded with what he's got available in his player pool. Maybe they've been so good that people have come to expect a certain level of performance from the team."

During Townsend's seven Six Nations campaigns, Scotland have finished fourth on four occasions, third twice, and fifth once.

However, with what many believe is the strongest Scotland squad ever, Townsend finds himself under the cosh after a 11th consecutive defeat to Ireland.

"If you take a couple of players out - like against Ireland, when they lost Darcy [Graham], Finn [Russell], no [Sione] Tuipulotu there already - things start to look drastically different, quickly," Ashton continued.

"That isn't necessarily Gregor's fault. You can coach players to where you want, within their limits.

"But whether they've got the strength in depth to finish games off against big teams is a very different question and to put that on Gregor seems quite harsh to me."

You can listen to the full Calcutta Cup preview with Chris Ashton by clicking here.

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Scotland captain Rachel Malcom will leave Lougborough Lightning at the end of the season after eight years at the club.

The 33-year-old was on the pitch for the Lightning's first ever game in 2017, captaining the team, and has gone on to make 67 appearances for the Premiership Women's Rugby side.

The bulk of her 52 Scotland caps have come during her time in Leicestershire, where she has recently taken up a player-coach role.

However, she will depart the club at the end of the season, with the final game on Friday against Trailfinders at Franklin's Gardens.

Malcolm has been named in Bryan Easson's most recent Scotland training squad and is expected to lead her country again at the upcoming Six Nations.