When the time comes that Gregor Towsend feels and writes his memoirs, he could dedicate a complete chapter to the way he has helped change the balance of power in the Calcutta Cup.
After winning the last four games against their oldest rivals, Scotland will seek to reach five consecutive on Twickenham today. They have never defeated England before five times in the trot. The story is within reach.
In general, Towsend has taken Scotland to five victories, a draw and only a defeat in his seven games against Auld's enemy. It has been an unprecedented period of domain.
Scotland does not fear this accessory in a way that perhaps they did once. The previous ghosts are no longer tormented by previous failures failures. Towsend has awakened Scotland from his marginal neighborhoods against England.
When they get here in southwest London, Scotland is no longer seen as lambs that enter a Twickenham slaughterhouse.
Of course, that has not prevented the smell of blood from filling the air at Rugby headquarters in English in recent days.
Duhan Van Der Merwe got on the score sheet against England in a 29-23 victory in 2023
The Scots have become accustomed to lifting the Calcututa Cup in recent years
Gregor Towsend has suffered only a defeat against England in seven games
Scotland is seen as a wound and vulnerable by the English rugby public after a weak defeat against Ireland fifteen days ago. There is an expectation that the local team delights with those wounds this afternoon.
Encouraged by the victory over France the last time, the theory to the south of the border is that the pack of England will monstruct Scotland in the front and establishes the platform for an emphatic victory.
Writing at the Sport de Mail today, Sir Clive Woodward states that Steve Borthwick's team “will win by a margin of 10 to 15 points.”
It is a feeling that is shared between the vast majority of English media, experts and former players. Many of them expect Scotland not only to be beaten, but apply.
While there is no doubt that Borthwick's men will begin the game as favorites, only the English could be done as certainties nailed to an accessory they have won once in the last seven years.
His trust feels excessive, based more on Scotland's deficiencies against Ireland than anything that England produced in a victory over France.
The reality is that England would have lost that party comfortably if the French were close to their best moment. Les Bleus left at least two or three attempts, with England surpassed it 26-25.
Scotland and England have won one and lost one entering the third round. Both losses arrived against Ireland, although in a very different way.
Scotland was swept by a dominant Ireland in Murrayfield the last time
England played well for 40 minutes in Dublin and pushed Ireland, before being dominated in the second half. Scotland, meanwhile, lost 17-0 after half an hour and never really put a glove in the Irish in Murrayfield.
The good news is that Finn Russell has recovered from the unpleasant shock of heads with Darcy Graham fifteen days ago and has been considered suitable to start on Twickenham.
Russell will be the tormenter in chief of England again, causing men in white t -shirts to dance with any melody to conjure.
In six games together as a chief and half -stew coach in the Calcuta Cup, Towsend (left) and Russell have never lost to England. With five victories and a draw, they are Kriptonite to England. When you throw Duhan Van Der Merwe to the mixture, it is soon clear why Scotland has enjoyed such domain in recent years.
The great extreme has noted more attempts against England than any other player in the history of the six nations.
It has six in total, including a hat-trick in a 30-21 victory in Murrayfield last year. His two on Twickenham in 2023 included one of the best attempts in the history of the Calcuta Cup.
Duhan is the Rose Dreams Dream destroyer. Together with Russell, he is a player who will affect the fear of English hearts.
Borthwick sought to take the initiative by appointing his team earlier this week, leaving the Smith Smith fin axis in the middle of the flight and Marcus on the complete side.
The Talisman of Scotland, Finn Russell, has recovered from a head injury and is ready to begin
England wants revenge. They feel ashamed about what happened in this accessory in recent years. A history so terrible against athletes will simply not.
The accumulation has seen all kinds of cheap jokes directed to Scotland. They have been discarded and fired in more than a few quarters, but Towsend went reluctant to participate in any mental game when he appointed his team on Thursday.
Instead, he requested calm in the midst of chaos. Buried in the entrails of Twickenham, with this most feverish of the Caldrones, the Scotland costume will be an image of serenity as the beginning is approaching. That feeling of serenity cannot be shared by followers.
In pubs, clubs and rooms to be throughout the country, there will be the usual kaleidoscope that only the Calcuta Cup can conjure.
Townsend spoke earlier this week about the need for Scotland so that his campaign of the six nations returned to the track after the defeat against Ireland.
If they lost here against England, their campaign would end. With a game at home against Wales and a trip to Paris yet to come, they would be looking at the canyon of another two -win championship.
If so, things were going to work at the end of the tournament, there would be no way that someone could reasonably advance the case for Towsend to continue as a chief coach.
Not with Franco Smith's spectrum now gets over him. With Glasgow Warriors chief coach who is strongly linked to Wales' work, it would be a horrible look if the SRU allowed him to slip away from his nose.
Luke Cowan-Deckie of England is tested in front of today's crucial clash
Of all Towsend's triumphs in the Calcuta Cup, you have the feeling that this could be the sweetest of the lot if Scotland can achieve it.
England has not defeated Scotland on Twickenham since 2017. If Towsend and his players prolong that even further, he would qualify as one of his best days as a chief coach given how his team has been discarded and ridiculed by some in England in recent days .
On the other side of London, Eastenders has been in front and in the center of the last days with its 40th anniversary celebrations.
He presented a live episode and a prominent character that was killed. But the real drama will take place on Twickenham this afternoon, instead of Walford.
Martin Fowler doesn't matter. They are the obituaries of the campaign of the six 2025 Nations of Scotland that will be written unless they can wake up to claim another famous victory in these parts.