England vs Scotland: Fin Smith stays at fly-half with Marcus Smith at full-back for Calcutta Cup clash

Tuesday, 18 February 2025 18:29

Steve Borthwick has stuck with Fin Smith at fly-half and Marcus Smith at full-back for England's Six Nations clash against Scotland.

England return to Twickenham on Saturday tasked with avoiding a record fifth consecutive Calcutta Cup defeat to Scotland.

Northampton fly-half Fin Smith has once again been entrusted with the 10 shirt after inspiring England to a last-gasp 26-25 victory over France on his first Test start on February 8.

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The 22-year-old provided two try assists and the game-clinching conversion in a player-of-the-match performance as England ended a seven-match losing streak against Tier 1 opposition.

Borthwick has seen no reason to tinker with a winning formula, with Marcus Smith switching to full-back once again to facilitate Fin Smith at fly-half.

Chessum returns for England

Ollie Chessum replaces George Martin in England's only change following the victory over France.

Chessum will operate alongside Maro Itoje in the second row in a direct swap for Martin, who has been managing a knee problem and drops to the bench for the Calcutta Cup showdown.

It will be Chessum's first start for England since last year's Six Nations having been ruled out of the summer tour to Japan and New Zealand and the autumn series by shoulder and knee injuries.

"We are looking forward to what will be another challenging and exciting match against Scotland," Borthwick said.

"The Calcutta Cup is a special fixture, and we are determined to perform to our very best in front of our supporters at Allianz Stadium."

England team to face Scotland

Starting XV: 15 Marcus Smith, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 5 Ollie Chessum, 6 Tom Curry, 7 Ben Earl, 8 Tom Willis.

Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 George Martin, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South, 21 Ben Curry, 22 Harry Randall, 23 Elliot Daly.

Analysis: Chessum change makes sense - but watch for Townsend tweak

Sky Sports News' James Cole:

Having beaten France 10 days ago, it is little surprise that Steve Borthwick has opted for consistency against Scotland.

The one change - to bring Ollie Chessum into the second row - makes a lot of sense.

Chessum was excellent off the bench against France; he carried hard, got over the gain line and shored-up England's creaking lineout.

The selection also means England will continue with the Fin Smith-Marcus Smith partnership at fly-half and full-back.

Both are 10s by trade, but England want both talented playmakers on the field and have therefore shifted Marcus Smith to 15.

Fin Smith was hugely impressive on his first international start. His game looks perfectly suited to Test rugby and his connection with Northampton team-mates Tommy Freeman, Ollie Sleightholme and Alex Mitchell added fluency to England's attack.

Marcus Smith's move to full-back was less convincing - but there were signs that it's a ploy that could work long-term and it's certainly worth persevering with against a Scotland side that typically kick long, rather than high.

That said - don't be surprised if we see Gregor Townsend tweak that gameplan and target the 5ft 10in Harlequin aerially.