England v Scotland: Steve Borthwick says hosts are ‘different’ side to last year
Head coach Steve Borthwick said England was the side that Scotland beat in last year’s Kolkata Cup meeting.
Scotland beat England for the fourth time in a row Six Nations wins 30-21 in Murrayfield in 2024But Borthwick said his 2025 class “don’t want to go through” as they prepare to welcome northern neighbors to the Allianz Stadium.
In the Edinburgh defeat, only seven starters have maintained their place in England’s XV XV 12 months.
Both sides have won a match and lost to Ireland in six countries this year, but failure is likely to reduce their chances of competing for the championship.
“As part of any match preparation, I always review the latest matches with my opponents,” Borthwick told BBC Rugby Union Weekly.
“We also have to admit that this (England) team is completely different from the team that we played last year.
“Danny Care started with Scrum-Half last year and he has stepped down from testing duties, so you have to be aware of the similarities in painting.
“This advantage is wider than before than before.
“The distribution advantage is different, and this team has different athleticism than 12 months ago.
“We didn’t look past it, the focus is on this weekend. The atmosphere will be amazing and I think it will be a great test match.”
