"At least five changes" - The England team Steve Borthwick should play against Scotland

RUCK’s 2024 Guinness Six Nations content 

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Duhan van der Merwe made history for Scotland by securing the first-ever Calcutta Cup hat-trick, propelling his team to a fourth consecutive Six Nations victory over England.

The formidable winger, who had already showcased his talent with two remarkable tries at Twickenham the previous year, outdid himself this time around.

While George Furbank and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso notched their maiden tries for England, it was Van der Merwe's clinical display that stole the spotlight, aided by Finn Russell's flawless kicking performance, which kept Scotland comfortably ahead in what proved to be a largely scrappy encounter.

"This is a painful experience for the team and for England supporters, and we will make sure we learn from it to be better in the future," said Borthwick.

England made 24 handling errors and conceded 22 turnovers in a ragged display.

"When you make that number of handling errors at this level, it's very difficult to win, especially against a team of Scotland's quality.

"Ultimately we made it too easy for Scotland to score, but they were very clinical.

"It's a huge lesson for our team as we develop. The number of turnovers made it very difficult to win."

Looking ahead, here are five significant adjustments we believe Steve Borthwick should consider for the upcoming showdown with Ireland at Twickenham, following yet another subpar performance .

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Telegraph 4/10: "Perhaps unsurprisingly was not on the same page as Ford and Slade in both attack and defence in their first game together. Badly fell off a tackle on Redpath that led to Scotland’s third try."

Planet Rugby 4/10: "Barely saw him in an attacking sense. A few carries, one bad pass, one dropped ball – although that was George Ford’s fault – but not the form we’ve seen in the Premiership."

RUCK 5/10: "Not what the Bath centre would have wanted upon his return from injury. The powerhouse came alive with some clattering hits, yet threw a wayward pass into touch at 76 minutes that summed up his afternoon. So much more was wanted from England fans, who were excited to see him comeback."

Replacement: Manu Tuilagi

Rugby Pass 5/10: "Taking over from the injured Alex Mitchell, he began busily before a 16th-minute overcooked touch finder took pep out of England’s early stride. Deteriorated from there, his last act on 44 seeing him watch on in despair as van der Merwe collected Finn Russell’s crosskick to compete his hat-trick."

Telegraph 4/10: "Sharp service for the most part, but was unable to control the game with the boot, kicking out on the full and was continually harassed with his box kicking."

RUCK 5/10: "Unfortunate performance from Danny Care, as the hectic, misshapen approach to proceedings asked questions of the Harlequin. Misplaced a handful of kicks, in what was an underwhelming effort from the boot. Unable to track across after Finn Russell found van der Merwe with a cross-field kick, with the wing completing his hat-trick."

Planet Rugby 4/10: "Several levels below Alex Mitchell. The lack of length from box-kicks put England under pressure, especially early in the second half, while his decision-making from the base was atrocious. "

Replacement: Ben Spencer

Telegraph 5/10: "The try appeared to provide instant vindication for Borthwick’s bold selection, however his spill resulted in Van der Merwe’s second try. Some promising glimpses and some ghastly errors."

Replacement: Freddie Steward

Rugby Pass 5/10: "Carried and was physical in the early stages when England were on top on the scoreboard, but he soon fell out of the reckoning. Gave Russell penalty points for an offence on 35 minutes and he was hooked six minutes into the second period."

Telegraph 5/10: "Aside from one big hand-off was fairly quiet and missed a few tackles. Expect George Martin to come into the equation for the Ireland game."

RUCK 5.5/10: "Offside at the half hour mark, as England were sometimes over eager in their do-or-die blitz defence. Missed the ball in the air, as England lost the 43rd minute line-out, in the build up to van Der merwe 3rd try. Off for George Martin (47’)"

Replacement: Chandler Cunningham-South

Planet Rugby 5/10: "Nice work for the opening try but nothing much else really stood out. Place should be under threat after mediocre efforts in the first three rounds."

Replacement: Immanuel Feyi-Waboso