Gregor Townsend has announced his team for Saturday’s Six Nations Scotland v England Calcutta Cup match at BT Murrayfield.

The only change to the starting XV is Magnus Bradbury, who has recovered from the thigh strain that kept him from starting last weekend’s loss to Ireland, coming in for club teammate Nick Haining.

Magnus Bradbury of Scotland breaks with the ball for his team’s…

Magnus Bradbury of Scotland breaks with the ball for his team’s second try during the Guinness Six Nations match between England and Scotland at Twickenham Stadium on March 16, 2019 in London,… Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

Last week’s debutante Haining goes to the bench in place of Worcester Warrior Cornell du Preez who drops out of the squad.

The only other change comes on the bench, where Edinburgh tighthead Simon Berghan returns to following illness on the day of the game. Which in turn means seasoned prop WP Nel also drops out of the squad.

Townsend is aware that Eddie Jones’s men pose a big threat to Scotland: “England are an excellent team whose run to the Rugby World Cup final was no fluke.

“They will be smarting from their opener in Paris and Eddie [Jones, Head Coach] will have them primed to come to Edinburgh and put in an improved performance.

This famous fixture is one that stands out given the history surrounding it and we will have to be at our very best to stand a chance of winning against our oldest rivals.

Gregor Townsend

The Calcutta Cup is the oldest international rugby fixture, which historically has been dominated by England with 75 wins to Scotland’s 43 and 17 draws. But in recent year, Scotland have won the spoils with their resounding 25-13 win in 2018 and their draw away from home at Twickenham last year.

Following a draw, the team who’s playing away from home wins the Cup, which is why Scotland have held it for the past 2 years. In fact, it’s been 1062 days since England have laid hands on the Calcutta Cup.

Scotland will be hoping to hold on to the Cup at home, where they’ve had the edge over England in the past 10 fixtures with 5 wins and a draw.

“Their win record against England at Murrayfield is substantially higher than their overall record against us, so we have to recognise they are a dangerous beast and we have to be at our best to beat them.”

England Coach Eddie Jones

The Rugby World Cup Finalists will be keen to make amends following their opening round loss to France in Paris. Eddie Jones has made 5 changes for their trip north and seems to be giving Scotland a lot more respect than previous England coaches:

“Scotland are a dangerous side. They like to play with a lot of width and with a lot of flow and tempo in their game. We want to make sure we dominate the gain line.”

Full Scotland Team To Face England at the BT Murrayfield:

Saturday 8th February (kick-off 4.45pm)

15. Stuart Hogg CAPTAIN (Exeter Chiefs) – 73 caps

14. Sean Maitland (Saracens) – 45 caps

13. Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors) – 24 caps

12. Sam Johnson (Glasgow Warriors) – 10 caps

11. Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh) – 18 caps

10. Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors) – 17 caps

9. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors) – 29 caps

1. Rory Sutherland (Edinburgh) – 3 caps

2. Fraser Brown VICE CAPTAIN (Glasgow Warriors) – 48 caps

3. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) – 27 caps

4. Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors) – 9 caps

5. Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) – 56 caps

6. Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh) – 15 caps

7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh) – 29 caps

8. Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh) – 11 caps

Replacements:

1. Stuart McInally (Edinburgh) – 34 caps
2. Allan Dell (London Irish) – 29 caps
3. Simon Berghan (Edinburgh) – 24 caps
4. Ben Toolis (Edinburgh) – 23 caps
5. Nick Haining (Edinburgh) – 1 cap
6. George Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – 11 caps
7. Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints) – 4 caps
8. Chris Harris (Gloucester) – 15 caps

What do you think of the team named? Let us know in the comments below