England Vs Scotland Preview, Prediction, Team News And Confirmed Lineups For Calcutta Cup Clash

England Vs Scotland Preview

Saturday sees the renewal of international rugby’s oldest rivalry, with England taking on Scotland in a repeat of the first-ever international fixture.

England may have the better head-to-head record, but Scotland have been on top in recent years.

Gregor Townsend’s side have won the last four meetings with England – their best streak ever.

Both teams have won and lost one of their opening two games. 26-25 win against last time out.

Scotland, meanwhile, were also beaten by the Irish after their round one victory over Italy.

The best UK rugby betting sites have England as the favourites on Saturday, at 6/19.

But at 7/2, Scotland are still expected to be capable of a win, with most pundits predicting a close battle.

England Vs Scotland Team News

England:

Calcutta Cup ready 👊

Steve Borthwick has named his 23-player match day squad to face Scotland this weekend 🌹@O2 | #WearTheRose

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 18, 2025

Steve Borthwick makes just one change to the side which beat at Twickenham.

Second row Ollie Chessum returns to the starting lineup for the first time in almost a year. He replaces Leicester Tigers teammate George Martin, who drops out of the squad.

Martin picked up a knee issue against but had been named on the bench initially. Bath’s Ted Hill comes in for Martin among the replacements.

After a successful experiment, England’s two Smiths continue where they left off – with Fin at fly-half and Marcus playing fullback.

Scotland:

Your Scotland team for Saturday's Calcutta Cup clash.

Read more ➡️ https://t.co/1uv60J86F1 pic.twitter.com/dz62d1hIoj

— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) February 20, 2025

Scotland have been forced into a change in the back three after Darcy Graham’s nasty head injury against Ireland.

The winger collided with teammate Finn Russell in the first half, with both players going off.

Russell did not come off as badly from the impact, ing his pitch-side head injury assessment.

The Bath number ten has been deemed fit to start, in a huge boost for Gregor Townsend’s side.

Kyle Rowe therefore comes in for Graham, with Duhan van der Merwe on the other wing.

There are two changes in the forwards; Pierre Schoeman comes back in at loosehead while Jamie Ritchie starts in the back row.

Rory Sutherland and Matt Fagerson drop to the bench.

England Vs Scotland Confirmed Lineups

England:

Starting XV: M Smith; Freeman, Lawrence, Slade, Sleightholme; F Smith, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Stuart, Itoje (capt), Chessum, T Curry, Earl, Willis.

Replacements: George, Baxter, Heyes, Hill, Cunningham-South, B Curry, Randall, Daly.

Scotland:

Starting XV: Kinghorn, Rowe, Jones, Jordan, Van der Merwe, Russell (co-captain), White; Schoeman, Cherry, Z Fagerson, Gray, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Darge (co-captain), Dempsey.

Replacements: Ashman, Sutherland, Hurd, Skinner, Brown, M Fagerson, Dobie, McDowall.

England Vs Scotland Prediction

It’s always a big match between England and Scotland, but this one has a real buzz about it.

A win for either side keeps them in serious contention for the title, while a loss would leave them fighting for third or fourth.

England are the favourites, and we think home advantage might just be enough for the Red Rose to emerge victorious, but it could go either way.

Prediction: England 23-19 Scotland