The invaders who barely know each other's names

The Scots always cast a wary eye on shenanigans south of the border but the announcement of the England XV yesterday highlighted the very different challenges facing each team.

The Scots are expected to deliver a performance worthy of players with years of team meetings, practice sessions and Test matches under their belts compared to an England side that have spent 10 days learning each other's first names.

Only six England players were in the team beaten 19-12 by France in the World Cup quarter-finals, a match that should have featured the Scots rather than Martin Johnson's misfiring outfit.The Scots messed up and missed out, England stumbled into the last eight and were promptly ejected from the tournament by a France team riven by internal warfare .

With interim coaches Stuart Lancaster, Andy Farrell and Graham Rowntree asked to erase the memories of dwarf throwing, ferry jumping and hotel- worker baiting in New Zealand, it was inevitable that significant change would be embraced.

To ensure his new-look England squad had a successful core, head coach Lancaster listened to Saracens boss Farrell and agreed to select his midfield of outside-half Charlie Hodgson, centres Brad Barritt and Owen Farrell along with wing Dave Strettle.

Up front there is also South Africa-born lock Mouritz Botha, a great example of how the Sarries 'family' can help seemingly average players achieve something very special. These five will start against Scotland with Matt Stevens, their team-mate, ready to come off the replacements' bench.

So, why did the previous England regime ignore Hodgson, Barritt and Farrell? With World Cup winners such as Mike Tindall and Jonny Wilkinson on board, it was much easier to opt for experience than untried talent, plus all three Sarries players had question marks against their names.

There were doubts over Hodgson's defence at Test level and he has not started an England match since the All Blacks exposed his limitations in Auckland four years ago.

Farrell is barely out of his teens and only took over the kicking duties at Sarries last season due to injury.

Barritt was viewed as a good Premiership ball-carrying centre who lacked the gas to make a significant impact at Test level.

With Toby Flood, the Leicester outside-half, and Tigers centre Manu Tuilagi injured, the new regime had limited options which turned the focus of their attention onto Hodgson, Farrell and Barritt.

We will discover tomorrow if the perceived weaknesses that made them unloved by the previous regime were merely smokescreens used to justify sloppy selection, based solely on what ageing players had done at the 2003 World Cup.

With England, led by Harlequins' Chris Robshaw in his second appearance, having been forced to endure substantial change on and off the pitch, the Scots are now in an uncomfortable position of
being favourites.

Numerous fancied England XVs have attempted to subdue the Scots at Murrayfield only to be severely embarrassed by the sheer ferocity and well-channelled hatred that is so easily stoked up against the Red Rose invaders.

Andy Robinson, the former England head coach who is in charge of Scotland, tried to increase the tension surrounding the game by claiming some English players had been arrogant during the World Cup match between the teams. Unfortunately for Robinson, the players he was talking about have been dumped and any perceived psychological advantage has been lost, which means he has to turn his gaze back onto his own team and their dreadful try-scoring efforts.

With Chris Paterson, the full-back, having retired, Scotland have lost their most reliable match winner, a kicker who constantly made up for the shocking limitations of a back division that has individual talent that does not gel.

Selecting Dan Parks at outside-half is never going to help the cause but, with Paterson gone, they need his boot and the Scots can be expected to kick for position and try to pressure England into defensive mistakes.

Scotland have the more formidable pack and backs who love running into contact rather than looking for space and this will help England in a match that will be played in bitterly cold conditions, with frozen fingers not conducive to slick handling moves. England believe their young props - Alex Corbisiero and Dan Cole - can provide a platform for the backs and Tom Croft will be the line-out focus in another key area.

If England do win quality possession then expect Hodgson to get the ball wide early and the game plan to revolve around pace and space.

England are not equipped to batter through Scotland and must utilise the speed and elusive running of wings Chris Ashton, Strettle and full-back Ben Foden.

There is a fine line between helter-skelter rugby and multi-phase attacks, featuring quick realignment and good depth, but Lancaster has made it clear he wants England to embrace this concept and not be sucked into an arm wrestle they will not win.

Scotland should expose England's limitations but if the core values that brought Sarries the Premiership title can be transferred to Robshaw's men, then something special may be achieved at Murrayfield.

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