Six Nations Rugby: Scotland V England Betting Preview

Scotland V England
Saturday 24th February. 4:45PM. BBC One

Scotland v England renew their rivalry once more in what is always one of the highlights in the Six Nations schedule, and Edinburgh is ready for what should be a fascinating Calcutta Cup match.

Both sides showed great grit and determination last time out and, with passions flying, this has the makings of yet another classic between international rugby’s oldest international rivalries. Expect fireworks from the off.

Scotland Sticking With Same Selection

Following a fantastic display over France two weeks ago, Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has confirmed that his starting line-up will remain unchanged as they look for another big performance at Murrayfield.

Scotland have made three changes to the bench with Nick Grigg, the returning Willem Nel, and Tim Swinson all in. A spirited home side will be eager to capitalise on any English vulnerabilities, who struggled to a tight win over Wales, and can also look to the partisan crowd for inspiration too.

While the recent head-to-head results against England have been far from good, Scotland have kept things tight on home turf. Despite coming crashing back to earth in the loss to Wales, the Scots are still confident after a great end to 2017. If Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg are on form, they will have a chance,

Still, they will be considered underdogs in spite of the air of optimism.

England Still On For Grand Slam

While there was certainly a stroke of good fortune in the win over Wales, England still boast a 100% record. With France and Ireland still to come, Eddie Jones will be determined to leave Murrayfield with the win and the bonus point.

A run of 24 wins in 25 matches under Jones shows England’s strength, and that depth in quality is underlined by the return of Nathan Hughes. With next year’s World Cup fast approaching too, a big performance in Edinburgh would fire another signal of intent.

While fixtures in Scotland have sometimes been tight, England have won eight clashes on the spin since drawing here in 2010. England will expect a tougher test than last year’s 61-21 riot, but the likes of Jonny May, Anthony Watson and Sam Simmonds can all look to fire the visitors to four tries en route to victory. If Owen Farrell’s kicking is on form too, this could be the big performance England crave.

Whatever happens, it’s set to be another dramatic showdown.

Scotland V England Betting

Even at Murrayfield, Scotland have been established as the 12/5 outsiders at Sun Bets while England are priced 3/10. A draw can be backed at 18/1.

England should win, and they should win well as they bid to clinch the bonus point as well as the victory itself.

While the handicap of -7 looks more than beatable, we think the odds on winning both halves are very tempting indeed.

Scotland will look to start strong, and may put up a fight for some time. However, without capitulating like they did last year, we do expect England’s quality to shine through. This is why we’re backing the last try scorer rather than the first. Our pick is Watson.

BET: England to win both halves @ 7/4 with Betfair

BET: Anthony Watson last try scorer @ 8/1 with Boylesports