Eddie Jones has set the tone for a tumultuous buildup to the Six Nations by warning Scotland that his England players are ‘coming for them’ and that he expects ‘abuse’ at Murrayfield.
The coach has raised the stakes ahead of the Calcutta Cup, which takes place in Edinburgh next weekend, adding that his young team is looking forwards to the task.
Although England has only won one of the last four games, Jones is sure that his team will be able to overcome Scotland’s free-flowing assault.
‘Everyone knows the history between the two countries and we know every time Scotland play England it is their biggest game of the tournament,’ said Jones
‘The big difference this year is we are going up there to get them. We are going after them and so they are going to have to be pretty good. We know they are a good team. The bulk of their players played for the Lions that was picked by Gregor Townsend, and that reflected their standard in the autumn.
‘We know what it takes up there. Last time it was wet, cold and miserable and the field can be very slippery and slidey. A lot of it is about the mindset and the way you approach the game. You’ve got to start well, get into the game and go after them.’
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‘The place is an inferno,’ he says. ‘It’s the first time guys like Marcus Smith and Freddie Steward have experienced it and that could work against them. My head is saying Scotland come out on top. I hope they don’t.’ said Mike Brown
Jones, however, believes the youthful members will thrive. ‘They’ll love it. Why wouldn’t they? They get to play in the first game of the greatest championship for the Calcutta Cup.
‘It’s important they understand what it will be like and our more experienced players will share their experience. It’s going to be hostile, but the good thing is they’ve got me there and I’m not very popular so I’m sure I’m going to get plenty of abuse and I’m happy to take that.
‘The first 20 minutes are going to be fast because Scotland like to play fast. We’ve got a set mindset of how we want to play. We want to be aggressive when we’ve got the ball and aggressive when we haven’t. We want to take the rhythm and tempo out of their game and put tempo and rhythm into our game.’
Prop Kyle Sinckler said of the hostility: ‘You just get used to it, but it’s a lot better than playing in front of no fans.’
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