RBS SIX NATIONS: Scotland v England
Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh Date: Saturday 13 March Kick-off: 1700 GMT
Coverage: Watch on BBC One, BBC HD channel, Red Button and BBC Sport website; Listen on BBC Radio Scotland, Radio 5 live and BBC Sport website; text commentary on BBC Sport website and mobiles
**England coach Martin Johnson is refusing to contemplate defeat ahead of Saturday’s RBS Six Nations Calcutta Cup match against Scotland at Murrayfield.**His side’s Grand Slam ambitions were crushed by Ireland a fortnight ago thanks to Tommy Bowe’s 75th-minute try.
Johnson said: "To sit in a losing dressing room after a Test match is not what you do it for, is it
“A team needs to have that conscience and that response and think ‘right, we are not going to be sat there again’.”
Even before the defeat to Ireland at Twickenham ended their hopes of a first Grand Slam since 2003, England came in for criticism following unconvincing wins over Wales and Italy.
“To say we have to improve sounds insignificant, we have to find a way of winning Test matches,”
England coach Martin Johnson
Johnson, approaching two years in charge of the side, added: “To say we have to improve sounds insignificant, we have to find a way of winning Test matches,” said Johnson.
"You don’t like to lose but that is part of the team’s experience now. We will be better for the Ireland game.
“The mindset has to be right on Saturday. It will be a tough evening if we lose up there.”
England have struggled in their recent visits to Murrayfield, losing their last two matches there without scoring a try.
But Johnson believes Saturday’s encounter could prove a turning point for the team if they can come away with a victory.
“We are going away from home and you have got to enjoy that challenge in playing in volatile situations because that is what you get into it for,” he said.
BEN DIRS BLOG
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"Going away from home and trying to silence hostile crowds is what it is all about. It is like any away ground, the opposition will raise themselves.
"A lot of rugby is about energy, urgency, passion and emotion and we cannot come second in those areas.
“Then it comes down to execution and tactical thinking. That is the challenge whenever you go away from home, wherever it is.”
Victory would also keep England’s hopes of the Six Nations title alive and could set up a winner-takes-all clash against unbeaten France in Paris on 20 March.
And despite that defeat to Ireland a fortnight ago, Johnson has largely kept faith with his XV, with recalls for Joe Worsley and Louis Deacon the only changes to that side.
Those two come in at the expense of Lewis Moody and Simon Shaw, but Delon Armitage will keep his place ahead of Ben Foden at full-back after recovering from a rib injury.
England face a Scotland side on a run of three straight defeats in the Championship so far - including a reverse against Italy last time out - and without a try at Murrayfield in their last three matches.
Still, as shown by their 9-8 defeat of Australia last November, tries are not always necessary for Scotland to grind out a win.
With that in mind, Worsley has called upon his team-mates to be “mentally tough” on Saturday.
The flanker has been drafted in on account of his superior defensive skills to Moody, with an all-Glasgow backline of Kelly Brown, John Barclay and Johnnie Beattie one of Scotland’s biggest threats going into the match.
Worsley, part of the England team that saw their Grand Slam ambitions wrecked at Murrayfield in 2000, said: "They’ve been playing well for Glasgow for a number of years now. The back row battle is key.
"However, they’ve got more than one weapon available to them.
"We’re trying to instil in the younger guys that the atmosphere and hostility they will encounter up there is tangible before the game.
"You get to this level and you have to be able to deal with those types of things. You have to be mentally tough.
“The atmosphere in the air, the atmosphere of the whole city of Edinburgh towards you is very strong. You can feel it. That’s true of most places in the world but Scotland is right up there.”
“England will be a little bit wary of what Scotland can do”
Scotland coach Andy Robinson
As well as the hostile crowd, a number of England’s players will be facing a Scotland team led by their former coach Andy Robinson.
Robinson was England coach between 2004 and 2006, but took over Scotland from Frank Hadden in June 2009 - and he says his side have all the qualities needed to upset the odds and defeat his former charges.
“England will be a little bit wary of what Scotland can do - which is good,” Robinson told BBC Scotland. "And we hope they go into their shells. We’ve got to take the game to England and stop them from scoring.
"We’ll do that by playing really aggressively in defence and getting in their faces.
“But there’s a lot for us to do. If we want to win we’ll have to work really hard and concentrate for 80 minutes.”
Scotland: H Southwell; S Lamont, N De Luca, G Morrison, M Evans; D Parks, C Cusiter (captain); A Jacobsen, R Ford, E Murray; J Hamilton, A Kellock; K Brown, J Barclay, J Beattie.
Replacements: S Lawson, G Cross, N Hines, A MacDonald, R Lawson, P Godman, S Danielli.
England: D Armitage; M Cueto, M Tait, R Flutey, U Monye; J Wilkinson, D Care; T Payne, D Hartley, D Cole; L Deacon, S Borthwick (captain); J Haskell, J Worsley, N Easter.
Replacements: S Thompson, D Wilson, C Lawes, L Moody, B Youngs, T Flood, B Foden.