Steve Borthwick confirms who will kick for England against Scotland

Find your local Greene King and settle in for the 2025 Six Nations!

Smith sent two conversions and an additional penalty off-target against France, which left seven important points on the pitch. Decisive action was taken as England changed their goal kicker for the closing moments of the match, as Fin Smith stepped up to the tee to nail the match-winning conversion, following Elliot Daly's pivotal try in the 79th minute.

Whilst Fin Smith sealed the late win over Les Bleus, his namesake Marcus will take back ownership of the kicking tee this Saturday. Borthwick confirmed this plan in a recent England media session, after the head coach named both Smith's in the starting XV for a second consecutive Test. “He’s a world class goal-kicker,” Borthwick said. “We all know that, so it’s very simple.”

"Listen, Marcus is a game-changer. Marcus is a player with incredible ability. Sometimes, the opposition focuses very much on him. Sometimes, that creates space for others. Sometimes, there will be a window for him to find. With Fin Smith and Marcus Smith, we have two ball-players, two people who see space in the front-line and in the back-field, and that’s going to be very important this weekend."

Fin Smith will hold down the 10 shirt against Scotland's mercurial maestro Finn Russell, with the Bath man confirmed to start on Saturday despite his injury concerns. Russell sustained a heavy clash of heads with Darcy Graham in Scotland's defeat to Ireland, and despite passing his immediate HIA, the Scottish staff decided against returning the fly half to the fray.

Russell has since made a full recovery, with Borthwick planning the playbook on how to nullify the self-declared 'Lionel Messi of Rugby'.

"Scotland are very smart in the way they play and they have a 10 in Finn Russell who many people say is arguably the best fly-half in the world at the moment." Borthwick said. "He has a very varied kicking game and a really attacking kicking game and we have to be very sharp to make sure that space is covered because he can find it."

"I think you would expect us to be thorough and plan as if Finn Russell is available and playing, but also planning – as you always do – for the next players in those key positions."

Whilst Russell has been given the green light for the Calcutta Cup match, Scotland wing Darcy Graham will play no part in the fixture, due to the brain injury he sustained a fortnight ago. Borthwick lifted the lid upon how England have had to cut a fine balance in their training week, upon how much they focus on their opponents, given the question marks around the key selections.

"Yeah, there is always this balance. You can spend your time concentrating on the opposition and we are really respectful of the opposition and thorough in our preparation, but also concentrating on how we play, with the good players in our team. You can chase the opposition but they (individual players) might not be playing at the weekend. We will prepare thoroughly but concentrate very much on ourselves."

Another player who has made a habit out of causing England problems, is powerhouse wing Duhan van der Merwe. The Edinburgh flyer scored a breathtaking solo try in the 2023 clash at Twickenham, and backed this up the following year with a hat-trick last time out in 2024 Calcutta Cup match.

"In space, he’s very, very dangerous. He’s got pace and power down that edge so if you give him space, he will take it. Fundamentally, denying him that space is very, very important. What he’s got then is a big, left-foot step to try to find another avenue, so you to be really on your money defensively across the board, to make sure you take that space away."

Borthwick sounded off upon how the recent string of defeats against Scotland has had a profound impact upon his squad's preparation, with different players using the losing streak as motivation to alternating extents. The head coach expressed how each player is unique in their approach to getting mentally prepared for the battle with the Celtic nation, yet is calling upon his side to be aggressive on the front foot regardless of their own attitude ahead of the match.

“I am really aware doing that means at some point there are going to be mistakes and when mistakes happen I am going to back the players again to continue to play brave and be aggressive. That is what pleased me, that they were last week."

"Some focus very much simply upon now and what they're trying to build. And one of the bits, as I get to know the players more and more, that's understanding what motivates each and everyone. My approach with each player. In respect, my approach is just slightly different with every player. As you expect it to be, right?

"The players all do it differently. That's one thing in coaching, is every player, yeah, you treat equally and differently. That's That's what you've got to do. Every one of them is different, every one of them. Some some use the past as motivation."

The Six Nations Championship, Europe’s premier rugby tournament, has delivered unforgettable moments and showcased some of the game’s greatest players.

From stunning tries to epic battles, the 2010s were packed with rugby brilliance.

Can you name the players who lit up the tournament during this golden decade? You’ll need to be on top form to get 15/15—are you up for the challenge? Let’s kick off!