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| Dates: 4 February-18 March |
| Coverage: Selected matches on BBC TV and BBC iPlayer with live text commentary, BBC radio commentary and video highlights of every match. |
Duncan Weir believes Scotland “have got England’s respect” going into the Calcutta Cup match at Twickenham.
After a 10-year stretch without a victory in the fixture, Scotland have won three and drawn one of the last five meetings between the sides.
Weir says that record means there is little chance on Saturday of England underestimating Gregor Townsend’s side.
“I think we’ve got England’s respect,” the Glasgow Warriors fly-half said on the BBC Scotland Rugby podcast.
“The last four or five years we’ve given them good, hard Test matches. We definitely have their respect.”
The Six Nations victory at Twickenham on Scotland’s last visit in 2021 was their first at the home of their oldest rivals in 38 years.
In their previous game at the home of English rugby in 2019 they rallied from 31-0 down to secure an extraordinary 38-38 draw.
“They’ve got results the last couple of times they’ve been there, which is huge for your mindset of going to Twickenham and having that belief it’s not just a fairytale at the back of your mind,” Weir said.
“The boys have lived it and breathed it the last couple of times they’ve visited that stadium. Unfortunately every time I’ve been down there we’ve come back with our tail between our legs, but that’s not the case for these boys.
“Maybe in the past when they’ve been given some cheap scores and the crowd are singing ‘Swing Low’, you feel pretty small in that set-up, being a Scotsman on the pitch when there’s 80-odd thousand English folk in the stadium.
“I think if you stay in the match, keep them as quiet as you possibly can, then you stand yourself in good stead.”
‘Finn played like the world’s best stand-off’
With Ireland and France ranked number one and two in the world, and England and Wales hoping for the boost of appointing new head coaches, not many are tipping Scotland as potential Six Nations title contenders.
However, Weir thinks Scotland – who are set to receive a boost with the return of front-row Zander Fagerson after two months out injured – are in a good place.
“I don’t really understand why everyone is doom and gloom about Scotland,” said Weir, whose last cap came against France in November 2020.
“They were a score away from beating the All Blacks in the autumn.
“I thought Finn Russell was near his very best in how he came back in and drove the team to beating Argentina.
“The way he played, I thought he was nothing short of probably the best stand-off in the world. So I don’t know what the doom and gloom is about.”
By Andy Burke
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