Saracens’ trip to Edinburgh teases at what’s to come at Twickenham
With the final group stage of the Champions Cup unfolding, attention spans are starting to dwindle and shift to the to the start of the Six Nations.
Rugby’s greatest championship starts in 13 days with a Calcutta Cup showdown that is packed full of story lines.
When Edinburgh play host to Saracens in what will be the last pool match of the Champions Cup, national rivalries will start to be reignited.
Eight Saracens players have been named in Steve Borthwick’s first England squad. Winger Sean Maitland has been summoned north by Gregor Townsend to join nine of Edinburgh’s finest in preparation for Scotland’s defence of the oldest trophy contested between any two international rugby unions.
While injuries and suspensions prevent both sides fielding their strongest teams, neither will be resting up their stars as the prospect of a home tie in the round of 16 hangs in the balance.
England’s captain Owen Farrell will sit out this final match as part of his dangerous suspension. Edinburgh will be without Hamish Watson and Duhan van der Merwe but both are likely to be fit for Scotland’s trip to Twickenham.
Gregor Townsend has named Jamie Ritchie as his captain for the 2023 campaign and the Edinburgh forward is set to lead his men in a scrummaging contest both sides will be chomping at the bit to get stuck into.
Ritchie is joined in the Edinburgh pack by an entirely Scottish front row. Pierre Schoeman, Dave Cherry and WP Nel will face off against England’s Mako Vunipola and Jamie George.
The rest of the scrum bleeds red and blue as Maro Itoje and Ben Earl do battle in the second row against Sam Skinner, Grant Gilchrist and Luke Crosbie, the later returning from concussion.
“To be honest, what the motivation is doesn’t bother me too much, as long as there is motivation there,” said Edinburgh head coach, Mike Blair.
“So it could be national selection, it could be putting a marker down, it could be financial, it could for your family.
“Your ‘why’ for me isn’t too important as long you’ve got one, you’re driven and competitive,” he added.
One player that won’t be carrying out international duties is Ben Vellacott.
Born in England, the scrum half qualifies through his mother and has represented Scotland U17 and U18 levels. He was awarded man of the match against England U18 .
Most recently Townsend named him in last year’s Six Nations squad and he made a victorious debut over Italy in Rome.
Vellacott said: “The big thing for me is my consistency. I am quite an attacking sort of nine and if that doesn’t show in a game then it is not my best game personally so Gregor and I have had a good chat and he has given me feedback on what to do better.
“Hopefully I can put in a few good performances over the next few weeks and something will maybe come off the back of that in the future.
“Game management was my weakest part at the start of last season but that has improved vastly by playing a lot. The leadership side, the more I get older the more experience I get so I can get help the younger lads and help this team to get where they want to go,” he added.
Throughout the rest of backs, players will be looking to lay down a marker. For Saracens, Elliot Daly and Max Malins hope to secure their place in Borthwick’s starting 15 while on opposite wings, Maitland will square up against Blair Kinghorn. The latter looks to prove his versatility following the return of Finn Russell to Scotland’s 10 jersey.
Speaking on Kinghorn, the Edinburgh boss emphasised how important his skillset was to the success of his side.
“I think he’s the smartest winger we’ve got in terms of getting high on the edge. He’s a big man, pushing the play back inside but we also need to get him into the game. You can picture breaks he’s made in previous games this season when he’s in the back field.
“Although you’ve got a different number on your back, the bits that you did well at 10 can still transfer to the wing as well,” said Blair.
With both teams qualified for the next stage of Champions Cup rugby, this afternoon’s game goes a long way for confidence in the knockout stages but also creates mind games and momentum ahead of a Six nations campaign that certainly won’t be forgotten quickly.
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