Scotland v England: Six Nations rugby betting preview, odds, stats and free tip

Free rugby union tips, best bets and analysis for Scotland v England in the 2020 Six Nations Championship.

Where to watch

BBC1, 4.45pm Saturday

Best bet

England to win by one to ten points
1pt 11-5 Betfair, Paddy Power

Under 4.5 tries
1pt 20-23 Betfair

Match preview

England are looking to avoid losing their opening two Six Nations matches for the first time since 2005 as they travel to Murrayfield to face a Scotland side aiming to keep the Calcutta Cup for a third year.

England coach Eddie Jones will have painful memories of their visit to Edinburgh two years ago, when they were outplayed by Scotland and lost 25-13. That defeat that had a number of similarities to England's dismal opening effort in Paris last weekend.

They lacked intensity, were easy to score against and really only showed their true selves once the outcome was decided. Jonny May's brace of tries in a 24-17 loss did at least ensure a losing bonus point that England scarcely deserved.

Scotland also lost their first game, but they could take plenty of positives from their 19-12 defeat by Ireland in Dublin. They were the better side for long spells and were unlucky to not earn at least a draw. Fly-half Adam Hastings in particular looked assured as a stand-in for Finn Russell, who once again will not be involved.

Given his famous surname, Hastings will be relishing his first encounter against the Auld Enemy especially after impressing for Glasgow against Premiership leaders Exeter in the European Champions Cup.

Punters siding with England might well know their fate early on. Fast starts have been a common theme in England's best performances under Jones. Against New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final they scored in 90 seconds, while in their Six Nations win against Ireland last February, England were ahead in the opening moments.

France's high-octane start last weekend, which culminated in a try for Vincent Rattez, was something England never recovered from. Scotland will be hoping to do the same.

When this fixture is played at Twickenham, it is often a high-scoring affair. The last two meetings in London have produced 20 tries alone, but the Murrayfield matches are often tighter.

The clashes there have not produced more than four tries since England won 35-13 in 2004. Their last successful trip to Edinburgh was a tryless fixture as Jones won his first international in charge 15-9.

The passionate atmosphere from the Murrayfield crowd, no doubt fired up by some of Jones's pre-match comments, will give the home players a boost but England should be able to edge a tight affair to get their campaign back on track.

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport

Like us on Facebook RacingPostSport