Eddie Jones looks to break Scottish steel on his England debut
Eddie Jones will be looking to achieve what only one of England’s previous four head coaches managed to accomplish – an away victory over Scotland – when he starts his revival mission with his new team in their Six Nations opener at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Eddie Jones will be looking to achieve what only one of England’s previous four head coaches managed to accomplish – an away victory over Scotland – when he starts his revival mission with his new team in their Six Nations opener at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Scotland might not have beaten England home or away since 2008, but they have only lost at their Edinburgh base to English sides led by Jones’ immediate predecessor, Stuart Lancaster, since the reign of Clive Woodward.
Martin Johnson, Brian Ashton and Andy Robinson all notably failed to notch victories against the Scots at Murrayfield as England head coaches.
Lancaster opened his spell in charge, initially as caretaker, with a 13-6 success away to Scotland in 2012, with a starting 15 featuring a trio of debutants – Owen Farrell, Brad Barritt and Phil Dowson – and with Chris Robshaw as captain on only his second international appearance.
Having picked up the reins in the wake of Lancaster’s failure to guide England to the knockout stages of their home World Cup last year, Jones has plumped for experience over youthful promise in his first team selection as England’s first overseas head coach, although the uncapped Northampton prop Paul Hill, Harlequins back-rower Jack Clifford and Bath centre Ollie Devoto are all in line for debuts off the bench.
That is an acknowledgement of the task facing an England side captained by the abrasive Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley.
Scotland suffered a whitewash in last year’s Six Nations but came within a controversial refereeing decision of making the last four in the World Cup, losing their Twickenham quarter-final against Australia 35-34 after Bernard Foley’s late penalty kick for the Wallabies.