Gregor Townsend dismisses claims Scotland are favourites for Calcutta Cup clash

Gregor Townsend has dismissed claims from his England counterpart Eddie Jones that Scotland are “red-hot favourites” for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup showdown at BT Murrayfield.

The Scots won at Twickenham last February and Jones insists all the expectation is on the hosts in this Six Nations contest. However, while Townsend is optimistic about his side’s prospects, he pointed out that bookmakers have England as favourites.

“Every coach does this little song and dance going into a game trying to convince the media they are underdogs and telling the players their backs are against the wall, ‘we’re going to this hostile place’,” said the Scotland head coach. “The bookies pick the favourites and I know we’re not the favourites with them.

“It’s not really something we talk about or worry about. The reason we’re being spoken about like that is because our players have driven the standards in training and have gone through experiences – not always pleasant – that have made them better and brought them closer together as a group.

“We have our own expectations, which is to deliver performances that we’re capable of. In last year’s Six Nations, three games stood out for us where we were close to our best: England, Italy and France. The aim for us is to try to do that in five games.”

Townsend believes the overall strength of the teams in the tournament makes the winner hard to call.

He added: “I think the quality of the northern hemisphere teams has gone up a huge amount in the last few years. I remember when I played and spectated, it was usually only really two teams in the running for the Six Nations. But that’s changed. That’s been proven in the last few seasons.

“Most teams can beat any other team on their day – and we are one of