England put on red alert for must-win Scotland Test
ENGLAND rugby coach Stuart Lancaster has warned his team to beware of a Scottish backlash as they attempt to salvage hopes of winning a first Six Nations title of his reign tomorrow at Murrayfield.
Lancaster, who has kept faith with the same team that slipped to a narrow loss in France last week, expects the hosts to still be smarting from their 28-6 defeat to Ireland.
“I’m sure Scotland were disappointed by the final score last weekend but overall they showed real attacking intent,” he said. “There’s bound to be a reaction to their defeat in Ireland.”
England’s unchanged XV means newcomers Jonny May, Luther Burrell and Jack Nowell retain starting roles, while Danny Care and Owen Farrell get the opportunity to build on a promising half-back showing in Paris.
“We want the team to build on the display against France and use that defeat as motivation,” Lancaster added. “It’s a second chance for this team. Having reviewed the game there were a lot more ups than downs. We have to trust the players to get the win this time.”
Scotland coach Scott Johnson has shown his ruthless side by dropping captain Kelly Brown, who he said needed to work on weaknesses in his game. Uncapped Glasgow Warriors flanker Chris Fusaro takes Brown’s place, and Johnson believes his guile could hold the key to causing an upset in the Calcutta Cup showdown.
“Fusaro is picked to do a certain role,” said Johnson. “England are powerful, have an edge to their side and are assertive and aggressive. They’ll probably consider themselves unlucky last weekend but it’s not always brute force that wins these games.”
Lancaster also played down southern hemisphere reports that he is plotting to persuade England rugby league star Sam Burgess to quit Australian club South Sydney and switch codes.
“It’s all a bit hypothetical at the moment and is just speculation as far as I’m aware,” he said. “The Rugby Football Union hasn’t made any approach for Sam.”
ENGLAND TEAM
STARTING XV: M Brown; J Nowell, L Burrell, B Twelvetrees, J May; O Farrell, D Care; J Marler, D Hartley, D Cole, J Launchbury, C Lawes, T Wood, C Robshaw (capt), B Vunipola
REPLACEMENTS: T Youngs, M Vunipola, H Thomas, D Attwood, B Morgan, L Dickson, B Barritt, A Goode