Six Nations: England coach Eddie Jones’ ‘song and dance’ routine starting to become tiresome as he labels Scotland red-hot favourites

Gregor Townsend has dismissed Eddie Jones’ “song and dance” routine after the England coach declared Scotland “red-hot favourites” to win the Calcutta Cup.

Jones has tried to pile on the pressure ahead of Saturday’s Six Nations clash in Edinburgh, questioning whether the Scots can cope with the burden of expectation.

Townsend’s side have been lauded following away wins last season over England and France and an impressive victory against Australia in the autumn.

It is widely considered to be the strongest Scotland squad in years and Jones didn’t miss the opportunity to indulge in a bit of gamesmanship as both sides named their teams.

“It’s the first time I’ve had the experience of going up there when Scotland have been red-hot favourites. They’re expected to win,” Jones said.

“Every time their players look at the crowd at Murrayfield they’ll feel that expectation. They’re red-hot favourites and they’ve got to cope with that.

“There’ll be 67,000 fans and they’ll be thinking about all the fans watching the game on the BBC. They have to carry that burden. Every game for us is the same – we’re expected to win, so it’s no different for us.”

Jones said similar about France while discussing their title chances during the official Six Nations launch last week. The routine is starting to look a little tired and Townsend wasn’t about to rise to the bait.

“Every coach does this little song and dance going into a game, trying to convince the media they’re underdogs and saying to players, we’re backs against the wall, going to this hostile place and we’re underdogs,” said the Scotland chief.

“I don’t know who picks the favourites – the bookies obviously do, and I know we’re not the favourites with the bookies. It’s not really