Gregor Townsend was also asked about comments from former England forward Courtney Lawes in his newspaper column.

Lawes thinks Scotland only ever raise their game properly against England.

"That's his opinion," Townsend says and points out Lawes must not have been at other games when Scotland have played well.

"We know we have to raise our game for this team, like most teams now, as they're quality sides we're up against in the Six Nations and November Tests."

Image source, SNS

Gregor Townsend's decision to stick with five forwards and three backs on the bench and use Adam Hastings has caused a lot of debate among all of you who have been in touch.

Hastings never got on the pitch in Rome and the Scotland head coach was asked why he has gone for the same split again.

"Well Adam covers 10, so it's someone we know can focus on that role during the week and he has been playing very well," he said.

"There are gambles going 6-2 with limited cover. We think the weather is going to be dry so there is more opportunity for backs coming on to have an influence.

"You go into the game with expectations of using the bench but if you don't need to - if players are playing well and there are no injuries - then at times people don't come off the pitch."

Townsend also confirms Blair Kinghorn has gone back to Toulouse, as he has to per agreement with his club if not selected.

Gregor Townsend says it was a difficult call not to involve Duhan van der Merwe and Blair Kinghorn again, but feels the backs deserve another go.

"There are reasons we selected that backline and the bench going into Italy and it's the same reasons going into England," he said.

"We weren't able to play as well as a backline given the weather and opportunities at the start of the game.

"What the back three did in the kicking battle was excellent and how they have been training is superb so we've backed them again this week."

Image source, SNS

Gregor Townsend was asked that question at his press conference.

"It's up to you guys you set the narrative," Townsend says to the gathered media.

"That's not really relevant for our team and I imagine not for our supporters. Our supporters want to see us winning and that's what we're trying to do."

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

Gregor Townsend takes charge of his 100th match as Scotland head coach on Saturday and while some may argue that reign has lasted too long, his record against England is almost peerless.

If Scotland triumph at Murrayfield this weekend, Townsend will have tied the all-time record of wins against England by any head coach in the championship's history - and won the most of any in the Six Nations era.

Since England’s record 61-21 triumph at Twickenham in 2017, Calcutta Cup contests have been settled by an average margin of just over five points, including a one-point victory for England on home soil last year – a triumph that Scotland so nearly snatched but for a missed Finn Russell conversion with the clock almost in red.

The visitors may have won their past 12 Test matches but Scotland know how to test them.

Scotland had 59% of territory and 58% possession at Twickenham in 2025 and outscored England by three tries to one.

A footnote to the above is that man of the match that day was a certain Duhan van der Merwe...

Gregor Townsend confirms hooker Ewan Ashman is injured.

"It was a big decision not involving Grant [Gilchrist] this week," he adds

"He has been excellent in this fixture - I could count on one hand the amount of players who have given more in this jersey in the last 10 years.

"His physicality, his effort. He doesn't have the opportunity to bounce back after the defeat at the weekend.

"But the team we've selected we feel our players can make a good impact at the start but also going into that final quarter.

"We understand Test rugby is a 23-man game and we will be using the bench this week as we know England are going to do that."

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend: "It's only on days like this you experience it [criticism] because it's such a busy job.

"You fill every minute of the day with reviewing what we could have done better going into selection and going into training.

"It's part of the job and part of losing. The feeling of losing is worse than the distraction of people giving their opinions to the group or me as a coach."

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend on how important Saturday's Calcutta Cup clash now is for him and his side.

"It's huge, it's our biggest game of the season and it always has been," he says.

"It's even more important on the back of a disappointing defeat.

"We know our supporters are behind us, as they always are, and we'll need their energy at the weekend."

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend was asked if they had learned lessons from last week, and November's disappointments.

"That's the job of all of us," he said.

"It's our job as coaches and players to make sure we learn from the things we didn't do well and build on the positive moments in our game and in training.

"We realise that's the nature of competition at the highest level. If you look at the specific lessons from Argentina. We didn't respond well enough when things went against us.

"I felt that wasn't the case at the weekend. We had a bad start but got back into our game, and we had to overcome the weather and the yellow card.

"The team showed they were together, were connected and doing all they could to find a way to win. Of course it's disappointing we didn't get the win, that's why we're here.

"But those lessons specifically from Argentina, we worked very hard on, and saw that at the weekend."

Right, quotes from Gregor Townsend are coming in the next few minutes.

Sit tight.

Andy: Not impressed. What do the hookers have over Townsend. Madness. 3 9s , 3 10s and a world class FB on the way to the south of France. Either win or Townsend must stand down on Monday!!!

David: Replying to Martin. Gilchrist is a decent club player. He has never been international quality. Was not interested in the loose last week.

Brian: Maybe giving the players who let themselves and the supporters down last week a chance at redemption? A lot of stick was directed at Townsend for the performance in Rome but not enough said about poorly performing professionals who lacked hunger and a creative spark required at this level, they're capable of vast improvement so I can only hope they show it against England.

Image source, Getty Images

Captain Maro Itoje returns to the England starting XV for Saturday's Six Nations match against Scotland in Edinburgh.

Itoje, who was on the bench for the 48-7 win against Wales, starts in the second row as one of two changes to the forward pack.

Luke Cowan-Dickie is at hooker with Jamie George, who led the side in Itoje's absence last weekend, among the replacements.

In the one other change to England's matchday squad from their opening win, fly-half Fin Smith comes on to the bench in place of namesake Marcus.

After four straight defeats from 2021 to 2024, England regained the Calcutta Cup with a narrow 16-15 victory last year in London.

Steward; Roebuck, Freeman, Dingwall, Arundell; Ford, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Heyes, Chessum, Itoje, Pepper, Underhill, Earl.

Replacements: George, Rodd, Davison, Coles, Pollock, T Curry, Spencer, F Smith

Jamie Ritchie has surely been brought in for his sheer doggedness around the breakdown.

Scotland were outfought by Italy last week, and Ritchie certainly brings aggression.

Plus, England's stack of back-rows who are excellent at the breakdown - Guy Pepper, Sam Underhill, Tom Curry, Ben Earl, and Henry Pollock - must be combatted.

The 29-year-old has been playing regularly for Perpignan after his switch from Edinburgh, but only featured against Tonga in the Autumn.

Image source, SNS

Scottish rugby stats guru, Kevin Millar has posted the following on X via his account (@topofthemoonGW).

"This is the first time a Scotland Men's starting XV hasn't included a single Edinburgh player since another Calcutta Cup match in Murrayfield - in 1998.

"Scotland had played 303 consecutive Test matches with at least 1 Edinburgh player in the starting lineup."

A dark day for the struggling capital club.

Robert: Kyle Rowe at full back, Jordan and Graham on the bench with another forward in there most likely Bayliss, don’t get Hastings on bench?

Ian R: As an England fan, and with all due respect to those picked, I’m delighted there’s no VDM, Kinghorn or Darcy. I wonder if GT is being deliberately obtuse in not picking those players that Steve Borthwick highlighted as a threat a few days ago?!

Jim: Can’t believe he’s picked the same backs, Horne should be in from the start, he’s an absolute nightmare to play against, so quick so versatile and always looking for something just different from other scrum half’s, just don’t know what Townsends thinks

Scotland boss Gregor Townsend is speaking to the media after naming his team for the Calcutta Cup clash.

We'll bring you his quotes shortly.

A few of you who don't follow Scottish rugby closely might be wondering who Scotland's starting loosehead is for the Calcutta Cup clash.

The South Africa-born prop qualifies through his Scottish mother, and has been a stalwart of Glasgow Warriors in recent seasons.

He helped them win the United Rugby Championship in 2024, and has had a stellar year so far along with many of his Warriors team-mates.

That included playing the full 80 minutes in Glasgow's comeback win over Toulouse in the Champions Cup.

Starting in the front row against an in-form England scrum will be a huge test.

Image source, SNS

Jonathan Bradley
BBC Sport NI senior journalist

Image source, Getty Images

On an earlier than usual Six Nations opening night, Ireland fluffed their lines in Paris on Thursday, beginning their 2026 campaign with a resounding 36-14 defeat by France that was as bruising to the ego as it was the body.

These sides may have won the past four titles in this competition between them but, for the second season in a row, there was only one winner when they went head-to-head.

An Ireland performance that was described by their head coach Andy Farrell as lacking "intent" continued a number of worrying trends from both the autumn and prior.

Coming into the game as considerable underdogs, the head coach had tried to reframe the changing narrative as his side now being the hunter rather than hunted.

For much of the 80 minutes in Paris, they looked like easy prey for superior opposition.

"It's coming again next week [against Italy]," former Ireland lock Donncha O'Callaghan told BBC Sport.

"This Irish team are on the ropes and everyone is coming after them - they might be the hunted again. They have to find the answers because Six Nations rugby is ruthless and they need to stop the rot."

Ireland second row Joe McCarthy insists the squad retain "a lot of belief" despite last week's crushing Six Nations loss to France.

Andy Farrell's side's hopes of reclaiming the title were significantly dented after leaving Stade de France empty-handed following the 36-14 defeat by the holders.

With the pressure to deliver having intensified before Italy's visit to Dublin on Saturday (14:10 GMT), McCarthy says Ireland are determined to issue an emphatic response to last week's misery in Paris.

"When you get a big enough loss like that you definitely haven't done a few things right," said the Leinster forward, who admitted Ireland were guilty of "compounding errors".

"It was a tough pill to swallow and it was a big opportunity to start the Six Nations, but you don't get a second chance.

"It was a tough review but we are focused on getting better. There is still a lot of belief in the group."

Image source, Getty Images

Ireland scrum coach John Fogarty spoke to reporters on Tuesday before Saturday's Six Nations game against Italy in Dublin (14:10 GMT).

Here are some snippets of what he said.

On the mood in camp after crushing France defeat:

"I think initially there was huge disappointment in the playing group at the performance, particularly in the first half.

"I think there's still a frustration within the group, which is fairly natural to have because they understand what they're capable of and what they served up wasn't that.

"And some of the reviews, we're turning the page really on France and into Italy, so there's a mix of frustration and some guys getting the opportunity to put on an Irish jersey at home in a Six Nations game."

On the perception that Ireland are falling away from the top nations:

"They [the squad] are very much here and now as people. I think the bigger picture stuff, maybe I'm wrong, I guess everyone's a little bit different, I haven't thought about that too much. That's just me.

"I'm sure there's other guys that will consider that massively. That hasn't been spoken about or as a coaching group, it's not been mentioned.

"What we're focused on is making sure we front up as an Irish team. I said it at half-time that we have character, that we represent where we're from properly.

"I think that's what's on our mind. There is an understanding within the group that if we do our stuff well, we're going to be a very difficult team to play against.

"So that's where we're at, I think, mentally."

Image source, Inpho