Finn Russell hopes Scotland can flip the ache of a Rugby World Cup defeat by South Africa to their benefit once they face England within the Six Nations on Saturday.
The Springboks defeated Scotland 18-3 in a pool match in France in September on their strategy to being topped world champions.
Since then defence coach Felix Jones has left the South Africa set-up to affix England boss Steve Borthwick’s backroom employees.
England will kick off at Murrayfield on Saturday in competition for a Grand Slam following wins over Italy and Wales within the opening two rounds.
They’re nonetheless getting used to Jones’s aggressive strategies however Scotland co-captain Russell reckons his facet will know what to anticipate primarily based on their South Africa expertise.
“Now we have regarded again and talked about that sport, and clearly checked out England’s first two video games of this marketing campaign,” Russell stated on Friday.
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“I believe our learnings from the World Cup weren’t to enter our shells if we do really feel the strain.
“There have been probabilities in that sport in opposition to South Africa that we most likely by no means noticed on the pitch. Beneath strain we most likely went into our shell slightly bit.”
Scotland, for all their back-line expertise, have typically appeared lower than the sum of their elements they usually stay with no Championship title for the reason that 1999 5 Nations.
Gregor Townsend’s males will begin the England sport in Edinburgh on the again of a 20-16 loss to France, which adopted a dramatic 27-26 win over Wales.
The Calcutta Cup-holders, nonetheless, have gained their previous three fixtures in opposition to England and have misplaced solely one of many previous six.
“With us and England, we’ve been progressing and over the previous couple of years they’ve probably not been pretty much as good as they are often,” stated gifted flyhalf Russell. “However the World Cup confirmed how good they are often, attending to the semi-finals.”
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England, like South Africa, play a blitz defence, which means they attempt to to swarm midfield rapidly in a bid to neutralise their opponents’ assault.
However Russell, a veteran of 77 Checks, is aware of what it’s prefer to have a goal on his again.
“It’s most likely just like numerous groups in that the 10s are the important thing gamers in assault,” he stated. “I’m unsure what England are going to do – if they’ll hearth out the road and attempt to take me out or shut me down from the skin.
“We can have to have the ability to adapt, with myself and Sione [Tuipulotu] and Huw [Jones] being on the identical web page and having Blair [Kinghorn] out vast as another choice.
“Though the ten controls numerous the assault, it’s not simply right down to me to create issues.”
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Photograph: EPA/Sebastien Nogier
