Eddie the Ego can say what he likes but we CAN seal win at Twickers
6 NATIONS CALCUTTA CUP COUNTDOWN We must keep our Guns up Coach Matt has dig at England boss and insists Scots are ready to end 34-year jinx
MATT TAYLOR insists sniping England boss Eddie Jones can say what he likes ahead of the Triple Crown showdown but it won’t penetrate the thick skins of born-again Scotland.
The Dark Blues defence guru is defiant as he drills his troops for the clash at Twickenham a week on Saturday.
Aussie Jones had a dig at skipper John Barclay for using “big talk” and daring to suggest England’s winning streak was about to be destroyed.
But Taylor backed up Barclay by insisting his men can pull off their first away Calcutta Cup triumph for 34 years.
In the wake of last weekend’s stunning Six Nations success against Wales at Murrayfield Taylor said: “Of course we can win – that’s the beauty of sport.
“Anyone can beat anyone and several times recently we have seen underdogs coming out on top against big teams.
“There is no reason why we can’t do it as long as we prepare properly. We do listen to the comments of other coaches and sometimes they contain hidden meanings. They have an agenda they want to push.
“We’re not going to come out and tell the world we can’t win down there.”
Taylor stressed the Scotland squad will never stop wanting to get better.
He added: “We did some things well against the Welsh but have to improve in other aspects. We know about England’s series of victories and that they will be a very hard side to beat.
“However, unless we keep adapting and getting better we will stay where we are. In our recent matches we have had good periods and flat periods. We’ll be focusing on eradicating the latter.”
But Taylor denied the players were under a burden of expectation for Twickenham and said: “We’re enjoying the feeling we have in the group.
“Not many expect us to win down there but we’ll go down in confident mood. The players see it as a chance to re-write history. It’s great to have seen progression in the team over the last couple of years.
“They took some heavy knocks initially and in Vern Cotter’s first year in charge we didn’t win a game. We had some tight losses – and now we have come out the other side and we’re winning those close games.
“England have the biggest playing pool and largest budget in world rugby.
“They are also rated No.2 behind the All Blacks in the global pecking order which sums up the size of our task.
“Maybe Jones can even put his feet up this week!
“Our guys have a positive mindset and we all want to make sure Vern leaves on a high at the end of the tournament.
“As a coaching group it’s going to be the last couple of weeks together as well. We’ve been on a bit of a journey.”