Calcutta Cup: Scotland's Hugo Southwell wants to take the English scalp for a third time at Murrayfield

Published on Friday 12 March 2010 09:29

HUGO SOUTHWELL today insisted it was time for actions to speak louder than words as Scotland prepare to face England in the RBS Six Nations Rugby Championship at Murrayfield tomorrow.

• Hugo Southwell

And when it comes to walking the walk – as opposed to talking the talk –nobody is entitled to do so with more pride or conviction than the 29-year-old full-back.

In fact, Stade Francais' Southwell stands apart from colleagues tomorrow in that he alone started Scotland's successive home victories over the Auld Enemy in 2006 and 2008 which puts him in the running to complete a Murrayfield Calcutta Cup home hat-trick, something which hasn't been achieved since the mid-1970s.

In preferring to looking ahead, however, Southwell also refuses to be pre-occupied with thoughts of what might have been so far in a championship which has seen Scotland blow leads against Wales and Italy, and, summing up the mood in the camp as well as sounding a rallying cry, he declared: "All it is about now is just getting on to the next level.

• Click here to win tickets to Saturday's Calcutta Cup match

"There's been a lot of talk about what has or hasn't happened. Everybody is now just very, very keen to put into action what has been said.

"If we do that then I'm sure we can come through this period.

"It's about fronting up and what better time than a game against England at Murrayfield?"

While keen to put the emphasis on team matters, Southwell acknowledged the recent winning history in the fixture and the chances of continuing that tomorrow.

"Hopefully, both I and Scotland can get a Murrayfield hat-trick, which would be an amazing feeling."

• Six Nations: Scotland and England Calcutta Cup squads

While staking an unbeaten home record, Southwell has tasted defeat three times at Twickenham and knows better than most what can happen if Scotland don't get things right.

"Give England space and they'll grab it," says the man whose prowess as a sportsman saw him play cricket for Sussex.

And, looking back at this year's campaign, he acknowledged that, particularly in Wales, when a ten-point lead was thrown away in the closing moments, Scotland's tournament had been akin to failing to capture that final, frustrating, opposition wicket in an innings.

"It's no use producing the goods at the start or in the middle part of the game. We have to show the ability to finish teams off.

"Never mind that teams will be throwing everything at you in the last minutes because that has to be dealt with while playing our own game as well. "Looking to close things out is maybe something we have got away from in the last ten minutes and it is particularly frustrating when we have a squad capable of going up a level.

"Finishing games off is a hurdle we must – and will – get over then things will start to pick up a bit."

Predicting a backlash to England's Grand Slam-destroying defeat by Ireland last time out, Southwell said: "England have been criticised a bit for not playing very much rugby so they are going to throw everything at us; remember they were attacking Italy from deep positions and this time they have nothing to lose.

"They'll come out fighting and we know they have an aggressive game. They have a big, physical pack and, as well as looking to play a bit more rugby, will take it to us up front.

"That's where we have to be strong because any dominance up front can lead to extra space for a back-line. Show England the way forward and they will take it with both hands."

Here, England's threat is perfectly illustrated by a glance at the try counts of the respective rivals over the ten years of the Six Nations.

During this period, Scotland have scored 63 tries at an average of 1.19 per match and conceded 174 (average 3.28). On the other hand, England have notched 138 (2.60) and leaked just 63 (1.19).

While the victories of 2006 and 2008 were welcome, there is no escaping that you have to go back to Simon Danielli's strike in 2004 for evidence of a Scottish Calcutta Cup try at Murrayfield.

As events have shown, though, there are other ways to win and Southwell indicated Scotland will look to utilise experience in some areas to expose opponents whose confidence may be brittle.

When Dan Parks runs out he will be the third home player to reach the 50-cap mark and, overall, the Scots can boast 453 appearances to England's 374.

The other two are captain Chris Cusiter and Southwell, who says such experience can be particularly useful.

"Looking down our team there a lot of players who have been over the course which will help deal with the massive buzz that is always around.

"We take this as the next game and that is the only way to approach things irrespective of who we are playing.

"But, yes, there will be emotions running high just before the kick-off that will have to be dealt with."

The message is that Scotland intend to get in opposition faces from the start and nothing less will do because the English, particularly the way they can insert blind-side wings into back-line moves, are always capable of cutting loose.

If Scotland had something similar in their armoury then the odds of 7-4 and 4-9 England would be a lot closer.

Bigger upsets than this have occurred, though, and nobody knows it better than new coach Andy Robinson, who failed to get on the winning side as an England Calcutta Cup player (1989) or as a coach (2006).

Would that Robinson see such a pattern continue now that he has crossed the fence to take charge of the Scots in a unique twist to rivalry stretching back to 1871; the new man at the helm, in this latest incarnation, would undoubtedly be delighted at what might even be his greatest victory.

Six Nations Predictor

• Predict the outcome of the Calcutta Cup

• Predict the fourth round results

• Predict the outcome of the Six Nations tournament