Steve Borthwick urges England to relish being Calcutta Cup underdogs against ‘clear favourites’ Scotland… as they take on the Finn Russell-inspired hosts at Murrayfield

Steve Borthwick has told his players to enjoy the challenge of being underdogs in Saturday’s Calcutta Cup against Scotland.

England have won this fixture just once since 2017 and Borthwick has shuffled his team in a quest for victory, with five changes to his starting XV.

George Furbank is the headline selection at full-back as England try to overcome their Finn Russell-inspired hosts at Murrayfield.

‘We’re concentrating very much on Scotland who are clearly favourites going into this fixture again with the record they’ve had,’ said Borthwick. 

‘They’re very confident, the team that’s been together… and then we’re playing against two teams who are in the top 4 in the world.

George Furbank is the headline selection at full-back for Saturday’s match at Murrayfield

Borthwick admits Finn Russell inspired Scotland are favourites for Calcutta Cup clash

‘We are looking forward to testing ourselves against them. We’ve got a side that’s playing with some experience and some youth. 

‘We’ve looked at how Scotland have gained an advantage over England in the last number of years. This is a new player group, but we want to make sure we learn from lessons of the past, that’s a trait we will often do. 

‘The next part is to make sure the players enjoy this journey. And I said to them straight away that there’s going to be some bumps in the road. But I want us to really enjoy it.’