Alex Mitchell reveals England's secret weapon against Scotland

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Lee Radford, now Scotland’s defence coach, spent the last two years shaping the defensive identity at Northampton Saints. That recent connection could quietly tilt the balance in England’s favour.

Radford was appointed by Scottish Rugby ahead of the Quilter Nations Series in November and has been tasked with tightening a defence that faltered in last weekend’s defeat to Italy in Rome. While he has only been in post for a short period, his influence is already being felt. However, his previous work at Northampton means several England players have a detailed understanding of how he thinks and how his teams defend.

During his time at Saints, Radford enjoyed significant success. He oversaw a defence that helped Northampton win the Gallagher Premiership in 2024 and reach the Investec Champions Cup final last year. Although he will continue to combine his club role with his Scotland duties this season, his long-term focus is on the national side, having signed a contract through to the end of the 2027/28 campaign.

England’s squad includes three Northampton backs in the starting XV and another on the bench, giving Steve Borthwick’s side a rare insight into Scotland’s defensive approach. Scrum-half Alex Mitchell, one of those Saints players, believes that familiarity could offer a small but useful edge.

"I think maybe a tiny bit, we'll have little conversations this week about his main philosophies, he's not been there for too long so he's not going to have changed the whole imprint of their game and their whole defensive structure, but yeah, we'll definitely have a few words. We already have about how they're likely to defend. But, the whole defence a lot of the time is quite simple and very basic stuff so it's one thing we can have conversations about, but not too big for us."

Radford’s move north was not without some light-hearted backlash from players he left behind. Mitchell revealed the reaction when Radford first accepted the Scotland role.

"I think he did at the time [get some stick]. A few called him a snake or whatnot but he's a great guy, fantastic coach and we're really lucky to have had him at Northampton still this year. He had a great opportunity at Scotland so he had to take it."

Beyond tactics, Mitchell also highlighted Radford’s personality and coaching style, which may explain why his messages stick so well with players.

"I think he just made everything a lot simpler, didn't try and overcomplicate the defence of what we need to do, very basic stuff and it helps that he's northern. A lot of the boys are scared of him and he just effs and jeffs a lot of the time and you don't want to miss any tackles for him so that obviously helps as well. He's a great guy as well."

England arrive in Edinburgh buoyed by a dominant 48-7 win over Wales, while Scotland are searching for a response. Whether Radford’s presence inspires the hosts or provides England with inside knowledge could prove decisive in a fiercely contested Calcutta Cup clash.