George Ford confident England can rise to Murrayfield challenge against Scotland

George Ford believes England‘s preparation and growing momentum have them well placed to tackle one of the toughest assignments in Test rugby when they face Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday.

The fly-half was player of the match against Wales last weekend in England’s seven-try opener, and said the squad had taken valuable lessons from their last outing, using the review period to sharpen key areas ahead of the Calcutta Cup clash.

Ford told Sky Sports: “We reviewed the last game as well as we could. There were some good positives for us to take, but we also identified a few errors in our game that we need to address and get better at, especially for this week.

“We’ve been hard at work the last couple of days learning from that and implementing what we want to try and do.”

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Influential leader Maro Itoje returns

England are boosted by the return of captain Maro Itoje to the starting side, with Ford praising the lock’s influence on and off the field.

“He’s massive, brilliant,” said Ford. “Even though he was on the bench last week, the way he was leading and the influence he had on the team in the week — and when he came on — was huge.

“I don’t see any difference in the way he helps prepare the team.”

England hope to end six-year Murrayfield drought

Recent trips to Edinburgh have proved difficult for England with the Red Rose’s last win coming back in 2020, but Ford insists past results will have little bearing on Saturday.

He said: “Every game’s a fresh challenge. We understand the threats Scotland have, but our mentality has to be about when and how we impose our game plan on them.”

Despite Scotland’s defeat to Italy increasing pressure on Gregor Townsend, the Sale Sharks playmaker expects a backlash.

He added: “When you lose a Test match you want to bounce back. Regardless of last weekend, England going to Murrayfield is a massive occasion — we’re expecting the best version of them.”

‘This is why we do it’

And For Ford, occasions like this are why players pull on an England shirt.

“As a kid you dream of playing in the best stadiums, the best atmospheres, in the biggest tournaments,” said Ford. “That’s exactly where we are — and we can’t wait.”

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