"More Power" - Our expert picks his England team to play Scotland

RUCK’s 2024 Guinness Six Nations content 

powered by ISUZU.

Despite the manner of the victories, the wins count all the same and England sit at second in the 2024 Six Nations table. Ireland are at the top of the pack with two points to the good, as they achieved bonus point wins in their opening two fixtures. After a week of rest, recovery and re-focussing England will turn their attention to Scotland, with a trip up to Murrayfield scheduled in for Saturday February 24th.

With eleven days between now and the next match for Steve Borthwick's side, it is difficult to definitivly pick the squad to take on Scotland in round three. As Marcus Smith presented in the pre-tournament camp in Girona, injuries can happen at any time and a forced withdrawal could well be thrown into the mix ahead of the journey north of the border. Similarly, there are handful of hopeful injured players looking to come back to the squad, with their sights set on Scotland for a return to the red rose.

Here is RUCK's columnist Tom Sansom's England team to face Scotland, in round three of the 2024 Guinness Six Nations.

If you don't win, don't worry - you get 2 chances to win every day! Have another attempt by simply answering a quick question following your first unsuccessful scratch.

Don't forget to come back every day to try and win big!

Consistency is key to building success in test match rugby, and after the first two weekends of the Six Nations, Borthwick looks to have identified his first choice back-three. We expect more of the same for the test against Scotland, with the biggest outside back change taking place amongst the replacements. We've opted for Freddie Steward to start at fullback, following an outstanding run out against Wales where he was narrowly pipped by Ben Earl to the Player of the Match award.

Steward was outstanding under the high ball, and disrupted Wales with threatening kick returns just as he did a fortnight ago in Rome. Partnering Steward in the back-three, we have gone for Elliot Daly and Tommy Freeman to retain their places on the wings, permitting that the two flyers are fit and eligible for selection. Daly has been an unexpected gem of the England wingers, as with so much pre-tournament attention on the likes of Tom Roebuck, Tommy Freeman and Manny Feyi-Waboso, Daly flew under the radar with England fans regarding him as a 'safe' selection from Borthwick.

Daly has been anything but safe for his opposition, and provided an excellent assist for Fraser Dingwall's try against Wales. We expect to see Freeman retain the 14 jersey for the trip to Edinburgh, as he has established himself as the top young gun of the new-coming backs. Returning to the England squad following a year and a half out of the fold, the Northampton Saints man has been brilliant upon his comeback, and lit up both the Stadio Olimpico and Twickenham with his exciting engine and after-burning strides.

The first predicted changes to come into Borthwick's plans, following back-to-back weeks of identical starting XV's, is the expected return of Manu Tuilagi. Borthwick has continued to provide medical updates on Tuilagi's status throughout his recent press conference events, with the latest news coming in the post-match discussion after the win against Wales. "Hopefully, Manu Tuilagi isn't too far away, as in, in contention for the next selection." Borthwick said at Twickenham on Saturday.

A return for Tuilagi would likely see the Sale man back in the starting line-up, and we predict to see new-coming centre Fraser Dingwall dropped out of the side. Tuilagi has proven his versatility across both centre spots, and could form a tried and tested midfield partnership with Henry Slade at outside centre for the battle with Scotland. Slade has been in impressive form since returning to the England squad, with a renewed focus on his kicking game paying dividends for Steve Borthwick's team. We expect to see the Exeter man retain his spot in the starting XV, and bring the fight to his Chiefs teammate and former England international Alec Hepburn, when the two sides meet up in Edinburgh.

The decision is a tough one for Dingwall, as the Northampton man has had a solid start to his England career. However, there have been some teething issues for the 24-year-old, with inexperience playing a potential factor on the test match stage. Despite scoring a nice try in the corner against Wales, high profile missed tackles against the likes of Monty Ioane and George North have asked questions of the Saints centre defensively. Tuilagi's proven option as a match-winning powerhouse would give any side a lift ahead of round three, and hands the advantage to the Samoan-born centre should he be declared fit for selection.

With the exciting prospect of both Tuilagi and Ollie Lawrence being available for selection, we have opted for Manu to start, whilst the Bath man takes a seat amongst the replacements for a second half impact.

For the first time in recent memory, there is a rather straight-forward decision to make, as to who should start for England at fly half. The all-consuming saga of Owen Farrell, George Ford, Marcus and Fin Smith has simmered down now to just Ford and Fin, with the Sale man emerging as the best viable option to lead the back-line against Scotland.

Ford notched two impressive performances under his test match belt, as he steered England to victory against Italy and Wales, and kicked excellently in both matches. Putting one confusion conversion debacle to the side, Ford's fleet-footedness won the match against Wales, be it from a well struck penalty or an exquisite 50-22. With Marcus Smith still recovering from his calf injury and not expected to return until the final two rounds of the tournament, Ford's understudy continues to be Fin Smith.

We expect the Northampton man to take a seat on the bench, and would not be suprised if he is sparingly used against Scotland. The upcoming battle against Townsend's tartan will be as impassioned and fierce as they come. Ford's calming demeanour will be vital for England to overcome the emotional obstacles in a jam-packed Murrayfield, for England first Calcutta Cup win for four years.

Following the recent knee injury to Alex Mitchell, we expect to see Danny Care pushed forward to start at scrum half for England. Mitchell will be sorely missed, yet Care's evergreen tenacity will bring equally as sharp quick-ball distribution, that has kept him a mainstay in the Harlequins nine jersey.

Once again, should injuries not play a factor in the selection for Scotland, we expect Borthwick to go with the reliable mantra of 'if it isn't broken, don't fix it.' The front row trio of Joe Marler, Jamie George and Will Stuart worked well as a cohesive unit, when setting the tone against Italy and Wales. With two victories runs as England captain under his belt, Jamie George is going nowhere other than the starting hooker spot, yet we predict to see an alteration to the replacements behind him.

In the same press conference which Borthwick confirmed Tuilagi's predicted England return (post Wales win last Saturday), the head coach also discussed the possibility of Luke Cowan-Dickie recovering from injury. "Hopefully Luke Cowan-Dickie comes into that, for selection as well, for the next squad. But as I say, all that will be confirmed when I received medical report tomorrow (Sunday). Might be different to that. But that's where I'm aiming towards right now." We've put the Sale man on the bench ahead of Theo Dan, in the hopes of Cowan-Dickie earning his first England cap since the 2022 Autumn Internationals.

As for the prop replacements, we predict to see the trademarked 'Borth Squad', back on the bench. Ellis Genge and Dan Cole have been doing an excellent job in lifting the tempo up-front, following a 50th minute introduction to the match. Genge and Cole dominated the young Welsh props last Saturday, and gave debuting tight-head Archie Griffin a baptism of fire to the test match circuit. More of the same would be hoped for against Scotland, as a strong blend of experience and fresh legs could be utilised in the latter stages at Murrayfield.

There were two polarising selection decisions for the four and five jersey, with one spot being a straight-forward choice whilst the other came down to the finer margins. Maro Itoje is back playing some of his best rugby in an England shirt, and is a nailed on choice to start against Scotland. The Saracen excelled in attack and defence against Wales, be it at the breakdown, in the carry or enforcing his 'no fly zone' by dominating the air-space at line-out time.

Itoje's finest moment came at 17 minutes, as he charged down the scampering Ioan llyod, brought the fly half to the deck before he could clear his lines, and stole the ball at the turnover on the Welsh 5m line. Stunning stuff from the man known as 'The Pearl', who has reminded England fans of his immense value in the engine room. After much deliberation, we predict Ollie Chessum to retain his spot in the starting line-up, despite a hit-and-miss run against Wales and the pressure of a returning George Martin.

The Leicester Tigers man will soon be joined by his Welford Road teammate at England camp, with Borthwick name-checking Martin as one of the players he's hoping to see back in the squad before too long. For now, we've picked Martin amongst our replacements, with Borthwick possibly set to fire him into the match as an impact sub. Chessum's sin-bin saw his stock drop slightly against Wales, and a following head injury assessment hindered his momentum in the win over Warren Gatland's side. So, for the time being we predict the Itoje-Chessum partnership to continue, with martin replacing the sporadicly used Alex Coles on the England bench.

6. Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins)

Finally, we predict the England back-row to remain two-thirds unchanged from the side that took on Wales last weekend at Twickenham. Should the available players all remain fit, then there are few better options than Ben Earl to round off the back of the scrum at number eight. The Saracen has been England's best player so far this Six Nations, and scored a stunning solo try against Wales. Earl earned a rightfully deserved Player of the Match award, and remains the best option to take the eight jersey for Borthwick's side when they travel to Scotland.

Similar words could be said for the open-side flank, as Sam Underhill's relentless work rate in the back-row has seen his stock sky-rocket in recent weeks. Going from overlooked World Cup option to leading name in a matter of months, Underhill has been laying in the fearsome tackles, with Kieron Assiratti in particular left on the receiving end of his textbook technique. Seen smiling with his teammates after he left the Welsh prop winded on the deck, Underhill embodies the Six Nations spirit, and Borthwick could go no better than to pick the Bath man for another bruising performance against Scotland.

The blindside flank is more of an area of contention, as after winning the Player of the Match award on his England debut, Ethan Roots had a less headline making match against Wales. A step down by his own standards, the New Zealand born flanker was sent to the sin bin for illegally halting a maul, and gifted Wales a penalty try in the process. He struggled to get a foothold in the match, with Chandler Cunningham-South once again maximising his minutes off the bench. The Harlequin has been folding his opponents in half, and has left a trail of bodies in his wake following powerful line breaks.

Borthwick named-dropped Chandler amongst the impressive replacements, who lifted the tempo against Wales. The former London Irishman could well be on his way to his first England senior start, with Murrayfield set to provide the perfect back-drop for him to first don the six jersey.

16. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks)

17. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)

18. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)

19. George Martin (Leicester Tigers)

20. Ethan Roots (Exeter Chiefs)

21. Danny Care (Harlequins)

22. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)

23. Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby)