Six Nations 2026: Scotland v England – Huw Jones on Italy defeat

Hugh Jones can’t remember how many touches he received in the rain in Rome last Saturday, but he knows it wasn’t many.

He’s sure he had a few of them in the final minutes – the 29 stages that ultimately amounted to nothing – but after that, the day flew by.

Scotland’s attack-built backline managed a zero-break total against Italy – the only nation to draw a blank in that regard on the opening weekend and the first time in many years Scotland’s attack was so straightforward.

Zero line breaks are extremely rare. Even in the Calcutta Monsoon Cup in Edinburgh in 2020, Scotland managed three goals. The weather was a major factor in Rome, of course, but it didn’t stop Italy from creating its own six line breaks. They found a way. Jones doesn’t hide from him. He can’t.

He says the Calcutta Cup is the “perfect game” now. Be careful what you wish for and all that, but you get his point. Murrayfield rises, the Scots with their backs to the wall, England on a strong roll, a shot for salvation. We’ve all seen this kind of ambush before.

Jones played in seven Calcutta Cups, winning four, losing three and scoring six tries. It’s a good record, but he admits the England side coming to Edinburgh this weekend are perhaps the toughest of all the English teams he has faced, including the one that faced Scotland in cold blood at Twickenham in 2017. Jones scored two tries that day but England won 60-21.

“After a loss when everyone is hurting and when we can’t play, we all feel frustrated and pent up energy,” Jones says.

“Even if we had won I would have walked away knowing I couldn’t have done anything. I’m very angry about that and this week adds fuel just wanting to go out and show what we can do. It’s the perfect week for us to get back into it.”