England set down 'hostile' Murrayfield Calcutta Cup stance
George driven to right wrongs of past two visits to Edinburgh
England are driven to make their Six Nations Murrayfield clash “different” to their two previous trips, according to vice captain Jamie George.
The 2026 Calcutta Cup clash takes place on Saturday, February 14 in the second round of Six Nations fixtures. England have not won in Edinburgh since 2020, when hooker George was part of the squad that prevailed 13-6 and went on to win the whole tournament.
Their last two visits to Murrayfield have ended in defeat. Scotland won 20-17 in 2022 and two years ago, winger Duhan van der Merwe scored a hat-trick as the hosts prevailed 30-21. George is desperate to re-write the script in what he describes as a “hostile” atmosphere.
"We've been disappointed with the way things have gone the last couple of times at Murrayfield,” said George. “But what a brilliant place to play rugby. We love coming down here. The hostility is quite something - that trip off the bus is an interesting one! But you've just got to embrace it.
“It's the best thing about being lucky enough to play international rugby, to play in front of hostile crowds and fun crowds like that. We really enjoy it. It'll be a huge challenge for us. Obviously our ambition is to make it a different result this year.”
England are the current holders of the Calcutta Cup after they defeated Scotland 16-15 at Twickenham last year.
Steve Borthwick’s men, who are one of the favourites for the Six Nations and are on an 11-game winning run, begin the Six Nations a week on Saturday when they host Wales.
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