36 years? Time for Scots to step upatEnglishHQ

THE sense of entitlement is everywhere at Twickenham.

For those who haven’t had the pleasure of being at the home of English rugby, think Harry Enfield, The Bores and “I’m considerably richer than you”.

Barbour jackets and cords are compulsory as well as an ability to look down your nose.

In sporting terms it’s the equivalent of having your side led out by Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg. A huge and grandiose stadium, affluence abounds – and Scotland haven’t won there since 1983.

Saturday is expected to be another routine extension of that shameful record and, to make matters worse, their head coach has the bit between his teeth.

Eddie Jones has opted to go against the usual tide of pre-match preambles that these games matter more to the Scots than his English side.

Dismissive remarks designed to feed into a perceived inferiority complex have been replaced by fighting talk.

Jones has called out Gregor Townsend’s side and it’s time to man up.

Jones has cranked up this particular collision with this eyebrow-raising statement of intent.

He said: “At Twickenham you don’t get people telling you where to go, you don’t get people spitting on you, you don’t get people grabbing you round the head and telling you what you should do, so we’ll make sure the hostility is on the field.

“Every game against Scotland has extra on it, I think they have a healthy dislike of the English and we would certainly like to reciprocate the welcome we got up there last year. All I’ll say is we’ll be ready for them.”

Read between the lines all you want but it’s a clear reference to his experience of Murrayfield last year, when there were fights in the tunnel and gentleman’s conduct went out the window during a Scottish win.

This Six Nations has already outstayed its welcome. One win over no-hopers Italy kicked off a campaign that has been a let-down of ever increasing proportions. Scotland crashed to Ireland, France and Wales and the losing culture needs to change.

Townsend and his players have a rhetoric which is all about the culture within the squad, the Thistle group and its nominated leaders.

But this cap-in-hand approach to accepting

Cap-in-hand approach must be replaced by a win-atall-costs mentality

defeat must be replaced by a win-at-all-costs mentality against England at a stadium where there’s no place for a deference to talent and wealth.

Nobody in the current Scotland squad was even born the last time Swing Low Sweet Chariot was drowned out by a roaring Dark Blues success 36 years ago.

The Hooray Henrys have had it all their own way for too long and Townsend has to convince his side this trip to HQ, as they call it, can’t become the usual forlorn task.

This is an English side going for the Championship in a perfect storm for a posh day out. So good riddance to this Six Nations – and hopefully not with a bloody nose.