Calcutta Cup 2012: Stuart Lancaster seeking short-term success and future gains

Chris Robshaw had already been named as the new captain, at least until Tom Wood returns from injury, and the Harlequins flanker has just one cap, from a defeat in Argentina in 2009. In fact, he will be the most inexperienced skipper when he leads England out at Murrayfield tomorrow evening since Nigel Melville in 1984, who captained England on his debut in a 19-3 defeat to the touring Australians.

Robshaw has been chosen on current form, and for the impressive manner in which he led Harlequins to a record 14 straight victories at the start of this season. Quins are top of the Aviva Premiership table but failed to make the last eight of the Heineken Cup after losing in Connacht.

The new caps are Saracens centres Brad Barritt and Owen Farrell, and the No 8 from Northampton, Phil Dowson. Five more uncapped players are on the bench – Rob Webber (Wasps), Geoff Parling (Leicester), Ben Morgan (Scarlets), Scotland under-19 scrum-half Lee Dickson (Northampton) and Jordan Turner-Hall (Harlequins).

Scotland have No 8 David Denton making his first start, with just 20 minutes off the bench in August behind him, and wing Lee Jones taking his bow in international rugby, against David Strettle.

But the Scotland pack has more Test match experience than the entire English XV, the Scots averaging 33 caps per man and England 15. Even throwing in the British & Irish Lions experience of the players involved, Scotland have 501 internationals to England’s 236.

Stuart Lancaster, England’s new head coach and a former Scotland under-19 and Scottish Students cap, has already been criticised south of the border for talking about developing a squad for the World Cup three years hence and so, explaining his selection before the squad flew north last night, he felt it necessary to stress that he had not taken his eye off the immediate goal.

“Right at the outset I talked about two things,” said Lancaster. “That was building a team that has longevity, and giving opportunities to new players. We also talked about developing a style of play that allows us to express ourselves in terms of talent from both an attacking and a defensive point of view, and I like to think we have been true to our word in selection.

“It’s about a team for now and a team for the future. We’re trying to achieve both. We have got 40 games between now and the next World Cup, and we need to put experience into that group of players so that they have got an opportunity to grow and develop on the international stage. But, equally, we go to Murrayfield for our first experience, and that is part of that journey.

“We also know that the result is paramount at the weekend, so we need to keep an eye on that.”

Six of the seven English Premiership sides in the Heineken Cup failed to reach the quarter-finals while, for the first time, five Celtic league clubs got through, including Edinburgh, for only the second time in Scotland’s 16 years in the competition.

The England squad ultimately performed better than Scotland in the World Cup in New Zealand by qualifying for the last eight, albeit with a style of rugby that relied more on individuals than any clear gameplan.

They would appear to have made sweeping changes to the squad, dropping six players – Mike Tindall, Mark Cueto, James Haskell, Nick Easter, Matt Banahan and Delon Armitage – losing three, Jonny Wilkinson, Lewis Moody and Steve Thompson, to retirement and another two veterans, Simon Shaw and James Haskell, to foreign contracts which rule out England involvement.

On top of that, Manu Tuilagi, Courtney Lawes, Toby Flood and Louis Deacon are among those from the last meeting with Scotland currently out injured.

Lancaster had no choice but to refresh the squad, to put his own stamp on the set-up and begin the process of regaining respect for a squad plagued by off-field controversy.

Scotland certainly appear more settled. England will start tomorrow’s game with five from the XV which beat the Scots in Auckland while Scotland have just seven of the starting line-up from four months ago. The difference is that Scotland have added experience and two players in form to those seven.

The players England have thrown in have form but little experience. Their most battle-hardened player, 31-year-old Hodgson, could be said to be returning to the England side to pull the strings at the peak of his career in terms of game management and understanding. But he last started an international four years ago.

Wth form so important, it is no surprise that Saracens, the one English club who did make the Heineken Cup quarter-finals, supply the midfield and a winger for Lancaster. Having to mould a team inside a week, he has wisely turned to players in the control room who know each other very well.

“Saracens have got a unique style that suits their players and their skills, but we play Owen [Farrell] and Brad [Barritt] in a slight different way. We’ve got our own philosophy – not mirrored on any one club in particular but we have tried to take the strengths of our clubs,” said Lancaster.

“We have been impressed with how the whole group has come together in the last ten days and we have done a lot of work on and off the field. Now is the time to turn all that into a performance against Scotland that we can all be proud of. It is a massive challenge – Murrayfield, the first game of the Six Nations – but one we are relishing.”

And Lancaster has every reason to. Experience may be weighted significantly in Scotland’s favour but that only matters if Scotland actually make it count. If this England side – average age 26 to Scotland’s near 28 – start well, their confidence could lead to a vibrant game with Farrell displaying the skills that already have him anointed as English rugby’s new golden boy. The back three of David Strettle, Chris Ashton and Ben Foden could underline their claim to be the most dangerous in the tournament.

Should Scotland start the stronger and take a grip of the set-piece, play an astute territorial game and, crucially, finish their chances, then the balance of experience and inexperience should come into play.

One Englishman who played in five Calcutta Cups – and never lost – is forwards coach Graham Rowntree. He cautioned the Scots against reading too much into the experience divide.

“We’ve not got as much experience as previous teams but these guys do have experience,” he said. “I remember Tom Wood coming in for his first game for England, in Wales, and he was man of the match. These guys are good enough. We’re not worrying about how many caps we’ve got.”