Furbank picked for attacking edge and settling the score at Murrayfield
The Guardian|February 23, 2024
Borthwick eager to 'develop England's game' with more tries in tomorrow's Calcutta Cup match against Scotland
Robert Kitson
Furbank picked for attacking edge and settling the score at Murrayfield

Sometimes the scoreboard doesn't lie. Want to take a quick guess when England last scored in excess of 20 points at Murrayfield? Here's a clue: Hey Ya! by Outkast was number one in the UK charts that month, Mark Zuckerberg had just launched Facebook from his student bedroom and Sir Clive Woodward was still their head coach. Edinburgh is a beautiful city but it seldom sees the best of England's attacking game.

Yes, the weather has often been shite. True there has been the occasional good result since 2004, not least the 20-0 win under Stuart Lancaster in 2014. Even then, though, they mustered only two tries despite being overwhelmingly superior on the day. On other days their failure to keep the scoreboard ticking has proven costly and allowed Scotland to ambush them with gleeful regularity.

It should come as no real surprise then, that Steve Borthwick wants to change this familiar stuck record. Borthwick is not stupid and is well aware that, with Finn Russell at 10, Scotland will usually be good for a converted try or two. Which means that England, if they wish to stay unbeaten in this Six Nations, will probably need to tot up a score in excess of anything they have managed in Edinburgh in the past two decades.

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