Consider the Calcutta Cup form books once again tossed out of the window. What is it about this fixture, what is it about this Scotland side? After defeat to Italy, Gregor Townsend’s tenure and team had seemed listless, almost lifeless, an emptying vessel; we will find out what restorative effect a few sups of sweet spirit from the Calcutta Cup can have after a dismantling of England that no-one saw coming.

Add another Murrayfield horror show to England’s haunting recent history. The Calcutta Cup has provided a few dark days for recent visitors here but never anything quite like this, a side who bounced up over the border on a run of 12 consecutive victories sent home to think again. Defeat may not be terminal to their Six Nations chances but the prospect of a grand slam charge, which seemed realistic ahead of kick off, swirled swiftly away into the crisp Edinburgh skies.

Steve Borthwick is a pragmatic thinker but even his brow was furrowed. Only the visitors’ scrum emerged from the wreckage of a Scotch demolition job in credit. English errors came early and often, providing the beat to which Scotland jigged. Henry Arundell saw red for two yellows, one cynical, one clumsy; Ellis Genge’s gaffe gifted a try; George Ford’s blocked drop goal provided a ten-point swing. Everything that could go wrong for England just about did; yesterday had been Friday the 13th, after all.

On match eve, home captain Sione Tuipulotu had spoken of a “desperation” in the Scottish ranks, a drive to make amends for the missteps and mistakes of Rome. That manifested itself most magnificently in a 15-minute opening salvo from Scotland as good as any as they have produced in recent memory. England could not handle their ferocity.

The warning shot was fired almost immediately, the first contestable kicked tapped back into home hands and only a scrambling Alex Mitchell saving a score. Nae matter – two more breaks soon arrived, resulting in a Finn Russell penalty to start the scoring and a yellow card to Arundell for a ruck infringement.

Then came a more telling blow. Huw Jones has been among England’s Calcutta Cup tormentors in chief over the last decade and six tries in this fixture soon became a magnificent seven courtesy of Russell’s volleyball-style tap on. Five minutes later, captains present and past combined to great effect, Tuipulotu arcing a pass virtually across the Firth of Forth to find Jamie Ritchie all alone on the left edge.

England, who had spoken all week of avoiding the sort of thunderbolts that have hit them here before, looked shellshocked. Only their scrum gave them any sort of foothold, allowing Arundell – back from his stint on the naughty step – to transport a neat Ford dummy and toss under the posts.

That was about the only bright moment, though, as the evening gloom descended for the visitors. One can now add Genge’s clumsy sliding fumble, which gifted Ben White a try following a Russell chip, to a catalogue of English errors here over the years swelling to encyclopaedia size. More material was on the way – an out-of control Arundell collided with Kyle Steyn in the air; two yellows turning to red, bad turning to worse for the visitors.

If England were seeing ghosts, they were failing to grasp them. There had already been 20 missed tackles before half time. Even Ford, their old reliable, was faltering; an attempt to narrow the gap with a drop goal instead extending it, Matt Fagerson charging the fly half down and sending Jones racing away to his second.

England’s power-packed bench had swung plenty of tight contests their way on the long winning run, yet this was a different sort of Test. Besides, their arrival came out of necessity: Sam Underhill and Maro Itoje both trudged off early, while Fin Smith was forced into an unfamiliar role at inside centre to accommodate the absence of Arundell. The shuffling that followed, with Fraser Dingwall and Tommy Freeman also forced into alternative roles, reflected minds muddled again by Murrayfield’s strange brew.

All the while, the home fans re-found their voices. Even the Townsend loyalists had come to question if this era had run its course after events in Rome, though a showing like this surely stirred Scottish souls. A few harsh critics might wonder why the blue moon from which this performance was plucked only seems to appear on Calcutta Cup day – for now, though, and despite a late Ben Earl consolation, they could guzzle again on renewed optimism long into the night.

All the ways to watch Scotland vs England live streams online – including for FREE – for the Calcutta Cup clash at Murrayfield in the 2026 Six Nations.

All the ways to watch Ireland vs Italy live streams online – including for FREE – as the buoyant Azzurri look to cause an upset in Dublin in the 2026 Six Nations.

Feb. 14—Friday's results

Atlantic Hockey

Niagara 5, Robert Morris 2

Sacred Heart 4, Bentley 0

Holy Cross 4, Canisius 3

Non Conference

Stonehill 3, LIU 1

Alaska Anchorage 5, Lindenwood 4

Big Ten

Wisconsin 4, Ohio State 2

Penn State 4, Michigan 4 (OT)

Minnesota 2, Notre Dame 2 (OT)

ECAC

Union 7, Colgate 6

Harvard 2, Brown 2 (OT)

Cornell 1, RPI 1 (OT)

Dartmouth 4, Yale 4 (OT)

Hockey East

Connecticut 2, Maine 0

UMass Lowell 4, Vermont 2

Merrimack 4, Boston College 2

Northeastern 4, Providence 2

New Hampshire 4, Boston University 1

CCHA

Lake Superior 2, Michigan Tech 2 (OT)

Northern Michigan 4, Ferris State 4 (OT)

Bowling Green 1, Augustana 0

Minnesota State 1, Bemidji State 0

NCHC

Western Michigan 6, Arizona State 2

St. Cloud State 6, Colorado College 5 (OT)

Denver 5, Omaha 2

First period — 1. Tyler Young (Andrew Strathmann, Anthony Menghinni) 09:57

Goalie Saves — UND: Jan Špunar 12, M: Matteo Drobac 41

Friday's results

Halftime: BS: 44, MVS: 34

Bismarck State — Piper Harris 10, Natalie DeCoteau 16, Aleah McPherson 9, Ashley Martodam 10, Kennedy Stormer 15, Kali Dauenhauer 12, Harper Harris 20, Alionna Lawrence 2

Mayville — Whitney Welk 12, Laela Jensen 17, Misti Zempel 24, Jayla Cleveland 5, Hannah Stark 13, Jolie Martinson 3, Bella Kanz 7

Friday's results

Hillsboro-CV 65, Ada-Borup-West 58

Fosston 78, Cass Lake-Bena 68

Pine River-Backus 69, Bagley 64

Red Lake County 88, Roseau 45

Halftime: WFS: 35, GFC: 34

WF Sheyenne — Cayden Smith 14, Kyson Keller 9, Kayson Bernstien 8, Max Zenker 6, Chase Speelmon 6, Wyatt Zimny 6, Cole Martin 5, Brennen Gable 4

GF Central — Brayden Delorme 25, Brooklan Bruce 22, Carter Larson 6, Tyson Vanyo 2

Halftime: EGF: 36, CG: 31

EGF Sacred Heart — Nathan Kaiser 16, Isaac Sundby 2, Nick Satterlund 8, Jacob Ortiz 13, Caleb Ihry 12, Reez Eckerdt 11, Parker Bernhoft 2, Alex Drake 1, Izic Edwards 4, Gabe LeTexier 5

Clearbrook/Gonvick — Avery Ostenaa 12, Trey Goudge 6, Ryan Gerlofs 12, Drayden Corbenais Neadeau 4, Kreed Shegrud 2, Carver Krolik 5, Gunner Olson 2, Grant Engen 6, Ashton Churness 2 , Wyatt Westrom 6

Sacred Heart coach Destry Sterkel: "Special night as we got to honor our seniors and parents. The boys fought hard on the back end of the back-to-back of games. We played well on the offensive end and did some solid things defensively. Credit to Clearbrook, they haven't had the season they thought they'd have but they are a hard-nose team who played well and fought all night long."

Halftime: KCC: 33, GG: 26

Kittson County Central — Ashton Knutson 6, Brock Scalese 15, Eli Peterson 7, Karsynn Peterson 2, James Cerkowniak 14, Kellen Johnson 14, Brody Scalese 10, Evan Schwenzfeier 3

Goodridge/Grygla — Shay Jacobson 7, Owen Larson 21, Evan Rubischko 4, Landon Nordby 6, Trustin Wiseth 10, Gus Jones 19, Ray Moe 2

Halftime: HCV: 28, ABW: 29

Hillsboro/Central Valley — Alexander Dufner 14, Bryce Miller 12, Tyson Leshuk 10, Treyvion Johnson 10, Chase Haffely 7, Brody Rogenes 7, Jaren Reed 3, Rylan Buchholz 2

Ada Borup West — Brody Menge 22, Anders Tinjum 15, Tyler Catlett 7, Caspar Kritzberger 6, Chase Chisholm 6, Connor Nelson 2

Halftime: TRF: 33, CRO: 28

Thief River Falls — Bridger Wilcox 24, Wyatt Nelson 21, Tucker Grineland 10, Dylan Osowski 8, Curtis Griffin 4, Jett Cornelius 2

Crookston — Reggie Winjum 36, Carter Fee 13, Beau Smith 4, Gunner Groven 2, Josh Hesby 2, Nolan Johnson 1

Late Thursday

Halftime: DVE 25, HN 17

Hatton-Northwood — Ryder Ness 1, Westin Enger 4, Aiden Johnson 4, Askel Johnson 5, Drew Iverson 8, Trayson Munkeby 5, Owen Poppema 5

Drayton-Valley-Edinburg — Joe Langerud 4, Teddy Otto 7, Trenten Keena 8, Isaac Feltman 11, Carter Oberg 7, Mason Pollestad 16, Tripp Kartes 2, Jack Langerud 6

Friday's results

Turtle Mountain 70, Des Lacs-Burlington 60

Kindred 76, Grafton 48

Rugby 75, Dunseith 43

Four Winds-M 81, Standing Rock 36

Blackduck 46, Clearbrook-Gonvick 31

Cass Lake-Bena 54, Fosston 51

Halftime: TOM: 32, DL: 33

Thompson — Addison Sage 21, Kya Hurst 18, Claire Kolling 16, Norah Goulet 4, Andie Schwab 4, Jena Schwabe 4, Jocelyn Oster 2

Devils Lake — Presley Brown 18, Tylie Brodina14, Ava Beck 12, Mia Elsperger 6, Emma Hofstad 5, Tenley Triepke 3, Jenae Martinson 2

Halftime: ROS: 44, WAR: 30

Roseau — Emma Olson 7, Brooklyn Hulst 9, Aliviah Mather 4, Greta Kvien 4, Anna Ulvin 23, Audrey Hayden 33, Willow Moser 1

Warroad — Mayer Keumamy 3, Libby Olafsen 2, Attlee Larson 24, Olivia Tessier 15, Natalie Homme 14

Halftime: CAR: 24, VC: 26

Carrington — Aniston Hoornaert 16, Marah Johnosn 15, Maara Kutz 7, Mya Neis 3, Sienna Topp 2, Jordyn Kollman 1

Valley City — Katie Burchill 8, Maddy Frieze 6, Skye Nielsen 6, Kinlee Sufficool 5, Kinslee 3, Mariah Frieze 3, Dakota Potratz 3

Halftime: CRO: 34, NCE: 10

Crookston — Chloe Boll 20, Madi Bruggeman 11, Brooklyn Waldal 11, Nora Groven 5, Halle Nicholas 4, Morgan Boll 4

NCE/UH — Madelyn Walstrom 7, Olivia Theis 7, Tess Anderson 4, Avah Bailey 3, Izabella Jacobson 1

In Park River

Friday's quarterfinals

No. 1 Hatton-Northwood vs. bye;

No. 4 Drayton-V-E 58, No. 5 Cavalier 28

No. 2 Park River-Fordville-Lankin 42, No. 7 Larimore 32

No. 3 Griggs-Midkota 64, No. 6 Midway-Minto 34

Saturday's games

Semifinals — Hatton-Northwood vs. DVE; PRFL vs. Griggs

Loser out — 2:30 p.m.

Monday's games

Region qualifiers — 4 p.m. and 25 minutes after previous game

Championship — 25 minutes after previous game

In Maddock

Friday's quarterfinals

No. 1 Benson County vs. bye;

No. 4 St. John 66, No. 5 Nelson County 49

No. 2 Langdon Area-Munich 45, No. 7 New Rockford-Sheyenne 36

No. 3 North Prairie 45, No. 6 North Star 42

Saturday's games

Semifinals — Benson County vs. St. John; Langdon vs. North Prairie

Loser out — 2 p.m.

Monday's games

Region qualifiers — 4 p.m. and 20 minutes after previous game

Championship — 20 minutes after previous game

Friday's results

First period — 1. JT: Brady Nenow (Cole Bullinger) 3:11; 2. JT: Parker Roelfsema (Ethan Oettle) 3:55

Second period — 3. B/R: Kaden Bristol (Peyton Getzlaff, Jacob Kuntz) (PP) 3:22; 4. JT: Blake Foster (Ayden Ness) 6:16; 5. B/R: Gavin Bartsch (Breckin Bohl) 14:49

Third period — 6. B/R: Peyton Getzlaff (Kaden Bristol, Landon Siemens) 11:54

OT — 7. B/R: Cooper Beckman (Casey Freeman, Peyton Getzlaff) 2:21

Goalie Saves — B/R: Rowan Cheshire 27, JT: Leif Hanson 37

First period — 1. WAR: Rodrick Jackson (Broden Hontvet, Ryan Shaugabay) 12:30; 2. WAR: Rodrick Jackson (Wesley Schreiner) 13:17

Second period — 3. WAR: Ryan Shaugabay (Gavin Andersen) 4:41; 4. LF: Mason Oothoudt (Beau Majerle) 9:06; 5. WAR: Ayven Hontvet (Broden Hontvet, Gavin Andersen) (PP) 16:43

Third period — 6. WAR: Parker Moes (Wesley Schreiner, Maddex Cole) 16:23

Goalie Saves — WAR: Patrick Kennedy 18, LF: Izaak Kalis 44

Saturday's first round

No. 9 Kittson County Central at No. 8 Park Rapids, 2 p.m.; No. 10 Lake of the Woods at No. 7 Red Lake Falls, 1 p.m.

Tuesday's quarterfinals

KCC/Park Rapids winner at No. 1 Warroad, 7 p.m.

No. 5 Crookston at No. 4 Thief River Falls, 7 p.m.

LOW/RLF winner at No. 2 EGF Senior High, 7 p.m.

No. 6 Bagley-Fosston at No. 3 Detroit Lakes, 7 p.m.

Feb. 21 semifinals

1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. at TRF's REA

Feb. 26 championship

7 p.m., at TRF's REA

Saturday's play-in games

No. 9 West Fargo at No. 8 Grafton-Park River, 1:30 p.m.

No. 10 May-Port at No. 7 Devils Lake, 1 p .m.

Tuesday's quarterfinals, at home sites

Grafton/WF winner at No. 1 Grand Forks Central, 6 p.m.

No. 5 Fargo Shanley at No. 4 West Fargo Sheyenne, 7 p.m.

MP/DL winner at No. 2 GF Red River, 6 p.m.

No. 6 Fargo North at No. 3 Fargo Davies

Friday's games, at Purpur Arena

Semifinals — 5 p.m. and 30 minutes after previous game

Loser out — 11 a.m. and 30 minutes after previous game

Saturday's games, at Purpur Arena

State qualifiers — noon and 30 minutes after previous game

Championship — 30 minutes after last qualifier

Friday's results

Second period — 1. GFKR: Ella Bry (Chloe Groven) (PP) 5:50; 2. GFKR: Ava Walsh (Dustee Balek) 6:16

Third period — 3. BC: Ashlen Larsen (Audrina McNally) (SH) 5:38; 4. GFKR: Dustee Balek (Elizabeth Kilgore, Ella Yahna) (PP) 6:06; 5. GFKR: Alaina Marto (Dustee Balek, Paige Meagher) (SH) (EN) 16:41

Goalie Saves — GFKR: Kylie Schmaltz 16, BC: Ellie Horner 21

Second period — 1. Afton Leingang (Brenna Bauman) (SH) 0:06; 2. Hannah Berreth (Kaebry Weekes) 3:03; 3. Avrey Walker (Tayah Myhre, Dakota Swearingen) 7:27

Third period — 4. Adrianna Kautzman (Dakota Swearingen) 0:22; 5. Afton Leingang (Adrianna Kautzman, Tayah Myhre) (PP) 6:50; 6. Afton Leingang (Brenna Bauman, Avrey Walker) 13:15

Goalie Saves — MAN: Laaden Dobitz 15, DL: Delaney Parker 36

Thursday's championship

Warroad 5, East Grand Forks 0

Wednesday's championship

Bemidji 4, Moorhead 3

Friday's semifinals

United North Central 51, Fosston-Bagley 18

Frazee 34, Roseau 31

Friday's championship

United North Central 49, Frazee 16

Dual tournament

Feb. 21, in Fargo

Quarterfinals, at 11:30 a.m.

W1 Bismarck Legacy vs. E4 Devils Lake; E2 GF Central vs. W3 Williston; E1 Fargo Davies vs. W4 Bismarck Century; W2 Bismarck High vs. E3 West Fargo Sheyenne

Dual tournament

Feb. 21, in Fargo

Quarterfinals, 10 a.m.

No. 2 Lisbon vs. Bowman County; No. 3 Kindred vs. Williams County; No. 1 Velva vs. Pembina County North; No. 4 Hettinger/Scranton vs. No. 5 Carrington

Dual tournament

Feb. 21, in Fargo

Quarterfinals, 10 a.m.

W1 Bismarck Legacy vs. E4 Pembina County North; E2 South Border vs. W3 Bismarck; E1 Lisbon vs. W4 Turtle Mountain; W2 Minot United vs. E3 Grand Forks

GF results (final match)

100 — Brynn Safratowich (24-17) scored 7

Cons. Round 3 — Jozzie Carlblom (Lisbon) 27-24 over Brynn Safratowich (GF) (0:54)

106 — Eryn Johnson (15-21) scored 7

Cons. Round 3 — Lucy Johnson (Northern Cass) 26-20 over Eryn Johnson (GF) 15-21 (0:59)

112 — Bethany Novak (19-19) scored 4

Cons. Round 3 — Joselyn Korbl (Fargo) 26-26 over Bethany Novak (GF) 19-19 (5:46)

118 — Cadee Aipperspach (26-17) placed 5th and scored 18

5th Place Match — Cadee Aipperspach (GF) 26-17 won by medical forfeit over Jossalin Carpenter (Devils Lake) 20-14 (MFFL)

118 — Molly Benoit (14-23)

Cons. Round 3 — JELAINE REARDON (West Fargo United) 17-21 over Molly Benoit (GF) 14-23 (1:47)

124 — Shayla DeBlaere (25-7) placed 4th and scored 20

3rd Place Match — Adaleene Hansen (Lisbon) 45-11 won by medical forfeit over Shayla DeBlaere (GF) 25-7 (MFFL)

124 — Maddie Look (26-13)

Cons. Round 4 — Mallie McCloud (Devils Lake) 21-14 over Maddie Look (GF) 26-13 (1:24)

130 — Kaylee Kurz (37-7) placed 2nd and scored 26

1st Place Match — Alyssa Hoyles (Grafton) 31-5 over Kaylee Kurz (GF) 37-7 (2:42)

136 — Sarah Novak (26-14) placed 4th and scored 22

3rd Place Match — Leah Dahle (Devils Lake) 21-11 over Sarah Novak (GF) 26-14 (5:37)

142 — Emily Sauter (15-17) scored 5.5

Cons. Round 4 — Ayva McNamara (Hillsboro/CV) 18-22 won by decision over Emily Sauter (GF) 15-17 (Dec 11-6)

148 — Alyssa Hines (16-16)

Cons. Round 2 — Melody Kubat (South Border) 16-13 over Alyssa Hines (GF) 16-16 (1:13)

148 — Aulani Long (27-11) placed 4th and scored 17.5

3rd Place Match — Clara Steffes (LaMoure LM) 16-6 over Aulani Long (GF) 27-11 (2:00)

155 — Lexi Ray (23-13) placed 5th and scored 17

5th Place Match — Lexi Ray (GF) 23-13 over Macie Tunheim (South Border) 12-11 (3:33)

170 — Kyah Wiley (38-3) placed 1st and scored 27.5

1st Place Match — Kyah Wiley (GF) 38-3 won by tech fall over Katherine Russell (Valley City) 34-5 (TF-1.5 2:12 (17-0))

190 — Sky Kopp (33-6) placed 1st and scored 28

1st Place Match — Sky Kopp (GF) 33-6 over Nevaeh Buffett (Lisbon) 17-3 (0:35)

Grand Forks coach Brady Terrill: "We had a great day. We qualified eight girls for the state tournament and placed second as a team. The day was capped off with Kyah Wiley winning a region title at 170 and Sky Kopp winning one at 190. I think we had more opportunities to pull ahead in the team race but I'm hoping we take the momentum we have into the state tournament and wrestle even better next week."

Friday's results

200 Yard Medley Relay

1. FS-ND A: Noah Sjurseth, Joshua Hollingsworth, Drew Heckaman, Elliott Sjurseth, 1:44.63; 2. FS-ND C: Teagan Peterson, Jackson Smith, Carson Beer, Connor Phillips, 2:01.81; 3. GF B: Ryan Johnson, Nathan Hind, Ben Hesse, Michael Welsh, 2:20.61

200 Yard Freestyle

1. FS-ND: Jens Sharbono, 1:53.43; 2. FS-ND: Remmy Splettstaszer, 2:01.54; 3. FS-ND: Teagan Peterson, 2:05.12

200 Yard IM

1. FS-ND: Elliott Sjurseth, 2:04.73; 2. FS-ND: Noah Sjurseth, 2:10.39; 3. FS-ND: Caleb Mehl, 2:24.98

50 Yard Freestyle

1. FS-ND: Drew Heckaman, 21.74; 2. FS-ND: Joshua Hollingsworth, 23.16; 3. FS-ND: Eban Pool, 24.48

100 Yard Freestyle

1. FS-ND: Joshua Hollingsworth, 50.56; 2. FS-ND: Caleb Mehl, 53.68; 3. FS-ND: Carson Beer, 56.79

500 Yard Freestyle

1. FS-ND: Jens Sharbono, 5:10.02; 2. FS-ND: Teagan Peterson, 5:33.48; 3. FS-ND: Drew Heckaman, 5:39.20

200 Yard Freestyle Relay

1. FS-ND A: Elliott Sjurseth, Drew Heckaman, Max Glynn, Joshua Hollingsworth, 1:29.06; 2. FS-ND B: Caleb Mehl, Carson Beer, Logan Duffy, Jens Sharbono, 1:41.29; 3. GF A: Elias Eberhardt, Anders Johnson, Espenn Johnson, Gage Selby, 1:51.53

100 Yard Backstroke

1. FS-ND: Elliott Sjurseth, 1:00.26; 2. FS-ND: Remmy Splettstaszer, 1:01.39; 3. GF: Michael Schill, 1:10.32

100 Yard Breaststroke

1. FS-ND: Ryan Brock, 1:08.13; 2. FS-ND: Max Glynn, 1:08.33; 3. FS-ND: Carson Beer, 1:12.72

400 Yard Freestyle Relay

1. FS-ND A: Noah Sjurseth, Eban Pool, Jens Sharbono, Max Glynn, 3:35.46; 2. FS-ND B: Teagan Peterson, Shwalin Tangpong, Caleb Mehl, Remmy Splettstaszer, 3:50.55; 3. GF A: Michael Schill, Espenn Johnson, Gage Selby, Zac Johnson, 4:04.27

Auld enemies Scotland and England collide in a crucial Calcutta Cup clash at Murrayfield.

It was an unwelcome Six Nations start for Gregor Townsend and his side in a rainy Rome, with a loss to Italy piling pressure on the under-fire Scotland head coach.

• LIVE: Follow all of the latest from the Calcutta Cup clash

Townsend’s team have a fine recent record in this fixture, though suffered a narrow defeat last year at Twickenham as Finn Russell missed late on from the tee.

England’s title hopes could well be derailed, though, at a ground that has provided plenty of unhappy memories of late.

Here’s everything you need to know.

When is Scotland vs England?

The Calcutta Cup clash is due to kick off at 4.40pm GMT on Saturday 14 February at Murrayfield in Edinburgh.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV1, with coverage on the channel from 4.10pm GMT. A live stream will be available via ITVX.

Team news

There are four changes to the Scotland side, all in the pack, as Gregor Townsend wields the axe after the defeat to Italy. Nathan McBeth earns a surprise start at loosehead, with Pierre Schoeman’s demotion meaning and a neck injury to Ewan Ashman meaning there is no Edinburgh player in the starting side.

Former captain Jamie Ritchie is back on the blindside, though, and the back three are trusted to go again with Duhan van der Merwe and Blair Kinghorn once more left out.

Steve Borthwick names a settled England side after securing a 12th successive win. Captain Maro Itoje returns in the second row at the expense of Alex Coles, while there is a swap at hooker as Jamie George, stand-in skipper against Wales, and Luke Cowan-Dickie trade starting and bench roles.

Among the replacements is a fit-again Fin Smith, who will provide fly half and centre cover as six forwards are again readied to make an impact.

Line-ups

Scotland XV: 1 Nathan McBeth, 2 Dave Cherry, 3 Zander Fagerson; 4 Gregor Brown, 5 Scott Cummings; 6 Jamie Ritchie, 7 Rory Darge, 8 Jack Dempsey; 9 Ben White, 10 Finn Russell; 11 Jamie Dobie, 12 Sione Tuipulotu (capt.), 13 Huw Jones, 14 Kyle Steyn; 15 Tom Jordan.

Replacements: 16 Dave Cherry, 17 Pierre Schoeman, 18 Elliot Millar Mills, 19 Max Williamson, 20 Matt Fagerson; 21 George Horne, 22 Adam Hastings, 23 Darcy Graham.

England XV: 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3 Joe Heyes; 4 Maro Itoje (capt.), 5 Ollie Chessum; 6 Guy Pepper, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Ben Earl; 9 Alex Mitchell, 10 George Ford; 11 Henry Arundell, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 13 Tommy Freeman, 14 Tom Roebuck; 15 Freddie Steward.

Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Trevor Davison, 19 Alex Coles, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Henry Pollock; 22 Ben Spencer, 23 Fin Smith.

Nika Amashukeli takes charge of the Six Nations clash between Scotland and England at Murrayfield.

The trailblazing Georgian has been given another marquee appointment after making history at the World Cup in the autumn of 2023.

The 31-year-old became the first referee from Georgia to officiate at the event, and the youngest whistler since Wayne Barnes in 2007 to be appointed to a men’s World Cup panel.

Amashukeli represented Georgia at junior level as a centre, but was forced to retire at the age of 20 after a series of concussions and other injuries.

He was recruited as a referee as part of a new programme to improve officiating standards in the country, developed in partnership with the Irish Rugby Football Union.

As part of that relationship, Amashukeli was mentored by Irish official David McHugh, who refereed games at the 1995, 1999 and 2003 World Cups.

In July 2021, Amashukeli officiated Wales’ win over Canada, his first international appointment involving a Tier One nation.

A Six Nations debut followed seven months later, and Amashukeli has since forged a reputation as a referee of high potential.

Scotland vs England match officials

Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Geo)

Assistant Referees: Andrea Piardi (Ita) & Gianluca Gnecchi (Ita)

Television Match Official: Marius van der Westhuizen (SA)

Foul Play Review Officer: Matteo Liperini (Ita)

No 8 Olly Cracknell is set for his Six Nations debut as Steve Tandy makes four changes to his Wales team to face France in Cardiff.

Cracknell’s inclusion means a reshuffle to the back row that began the heavy defeat to England, with Aaron Wainwright moving to the blindside and Alex Mann wearing the seven shirt.

Tandy swaps props with Rhys Carre and Tomas Francis promoted from the bench as Nicky Smith and Archie Griffin take replacement roles, while Joe Hawkins is preferred to Ben Thomas at inside centre, and will partner clubmate Eddie James.

Wales face another daunting challenge as they welcome the tournament favourites to the Principality Stadium, having conceded an average of nearly 58 points across their last three outings.

“There are a few changes for this week,” Tandy explained. “A lot of it is based on who we are playing and then Olly Cracknell has done a full training week this week and also played really well in the autumn.

“We were bitterly disappointed with the performance last week. We've addressed it in meetings. The boys were open and honest around the fact that we didn't put ourselves on the game. We felt we played into England's hands a little bit and obviously the discipline was hugely disappointing. It's a massive lesson for us. It's something we need to correct and put more of our game out on the field on Sunday.”

Empty seats are likely at the Principality Stadium despite the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) reportedly giving tickets away in the lead-up to the game.

Wales XV to face France in Cardiff (Sunday 15 February, 3.10pm GMT): 1 Rhys Carre, 2 Dewi Lake (capt.), 3 Tomas Francis; 4 Dafydd Jenkins, 5 Adam Beard; 6 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Alex Mann, 8 Olly Cracknell; 9 Tomos Williams, 10 Dan Edwards; 11 Josh Adams, 12 Joe Hawkins, 13 Eddie James, 14 Ellis Mee; 15 Louis Rees-Zammit.

Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Archie Griffin, 19 Ben Carter, 20 Taine Plumtree; 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Mason Grady