England can never compete with the hostility seared into Scotland’s national psyche
SCOTLAND will ‘ welcome’ the English with typical hostility on Saturday to prove yet again that they have a passion for that rivalry which is not matched by the visitors from south of Hadrian’s Wall.
They will be crammed on to the upper walkways at Murrayfield when the England coach arrives — leaning over to offer choice words and maybe even the odd projectile. The shouts, boos and chants will let Steve Borthwick’s squad know they are well and truly out of their comfort zone.
There will be proper edge and tension, exactly how it should be. There is every chance that England will be met by go-slow bagpipers, the infernal pillar in the middle of the away dressing-room and overcrowding on their half of the field in the warm-ups. That is all part of the rich tapestry.
The animosity is not imagined; it is as real as ever. It’s even enshrined in the home anthem. Flower of Scotland is all about sending the English — ‘ proud Edward’s army’ — back home ‘to think again’. It is always belted out with extra passion before
THE documentary about Australia’s car-crash World Cup campaign is released on local channel Stan Sport this week and — if viewers in this part of the world are able to see it — it promises to be explosive and enthralling. Eddie Jones may not have done a good job of igniting his country’s quest for global glory but, from the promotional footage, he did plenty to create a hard-hitting, warts-and-all sport drama series. In its own way that is good for the game, too. The trailers have shown plenty of unvarnished footage of injury ordeals, selection upheaval, brutal meetings, savage postmatch verdicts, Jones wielding a cattle prod and being quizzed about an approach from Japan. It looks set to be raw, unpolished and fascinating.
Calcutta Cup matches. It is an expression of national pride and defiance, rooted in events back in the 14th century. Try undoing such age- old sentiment in this time of political correctness.
England cannot match that. It’s just not possible. Conflict with Scotland is simply not seared into the national psyche in the same way as it is in reverse, as was epitomised by the famous slow walk led by David Sole in 1990, which was as much an anti-Thatcher statement as a means of creating the febrile mood for an upset.
In the past, it always used to be: beat this posh lot and the season will be fine, whatever else happens. While there are raised Scottish ambitions now, that outlook has partly fuelled recent Scottish dominance in the fixture, along with the assembly of a fine and well- coached team. This is the scalp they really want.
It is the same with the Welsh, just as Dan Biggar made clear in his conversation with Jonny Wilkinson for Mail Sport. Wales have won titles and Slams in the pro era, but as a country they put an extra special emphasis on lowering the English colours.
As with the Scots, historical animosity drives one side of that rivalry. Before Wales v England in 1977 in Cardiff, home captain Phil Bennett delivered a famous team talk, saying: ‘Look what these bastards have done to Wales. They’ve taken our coal, our water, our steel. They buy our homes and live in them for a fortnight every year. We’ve been exploited, raped, controlled and punished by the English — and that’s who you are playing this afternoon.’
It is doubtful that an England skipper could muster such depths of ill-feeling towards the opposition. There is an unavoidably different historical dimension. England fans are not so singularly driven by a fervent desire to beat the Celts. The rivalry is imbalanced, although years of Welsh dominance in the fixture created a generation of English players and fans hell-bent on vengeance.
It is slightly different with Ireland, for whom England were always the target, but in recent times the emphasis has changed.
France are the other standardbearers in Europe, so those countries have vied for northern supremacy, while England languished. Further afield, a rivalry has developed with New Zealand, after modern-day Irish successes against them. Given what happened in Paris late last year, that fire will burn on in Irish hearts.
But what rivalry matters most to England? That is harder to judge. In Sir Clive Woodward’s triumphant era, he spoke openly about a perennial Anglo-French duopoly, which made the Gallic rivals the ones his team had their sights on close to home.
The fixture which brings most ticket requests — which is not actually the worst way to gauge interest levels — is New Zealand.
The aura around the All Blacks creates a wider audience engagement. That is the stop-what-you’re-doing-and-pay-attention game; and beating them (rarely) is viewed as an ultimate one-off accomplishment.
Elsewhere, Australia would have New Zealand as their primary rivals but Kiwis would probably say South Africa.
It’s a fair bet to say Argentina fans would most want the England scalp, too. Again, that is for reasons which go beyond sport.
England cannot harness history in the same way as many opponents. They have to find other forms of motivation.
Winning just one of their last six Tests against Scotland should give them plenty to work with at Murrayfield, but the hosts will come armed with raging injustice from their defeat against France, as well as familiar loathing for the ‘Auld Enemy’. It is a potent mix. Stand by for the usual mayhem.