SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: One of my most haunting defeats came at the hands of rivals Scotland… here’s how Steve Borthwick must set up to ensure England don’t suffer the same fate

For years I had the same image as my laptop screensaver. The photo was of Andy Nicol and his fellow Scotland players celebrating beating my then England side to win the Calcutta Cup in 2000. That defeat in the Murrayfield rain was the worst moment of my coaching career.

Why did I subject myself to seeing it every day? It reminded me never to get too carried away. The image of Nicol and his cheerful teammates brought back so many painful memories of that weekend. It reminded me that you have to combine the rough with the smooth.

After the pre-match gamesmanship, my England team was certainly on the wrong side that day as we failed to achieve what would have been a Grand Slam in the first Six Nations. I think about it all the time. But in a good way.

In 2000, Italy had just joined what was called the Five Nations and defeated Scotland on the opening weekend. England won their first four games and were on course for a clean sweep. Up until that point, it was one of my favorite campaigns. We just played incredible rugby.

But I made a very poor selection for that match in Scotland, and the conditions were terrible. Martin Johnson was available for selection, but I stuck with Garath Archer and Simon Shaw, who played so well down the stretch. It wasn’t their fault we lost, but given the conditions and a crazy Murrayfield, Johnson could have proved the difference. We will never know!

Scotland celebrate victory at the Six Nations Championship at Murrayfield in 2000

Scotland played much better than us, despite losing the first four Championship games, winning 19-13. In reality, they should have won by more margin. It was a sobering afternoon.

Nicol is one of my favorite players and a fantastic guy, but I will never forgive him! After the match, Scotland coach Sir Ian McGeechan said we should both be happy as England had won the Championship title and Scotland had claimed the Calcutta Cup.

Mail Sports columnist and England World Cup-winning head coach Sir Clive Woodward

I looked at him and just smiled. Even I saw the funny side of his comment.

To be happy? For us it was always Grand Slam or nothing. I was devastated by such a terrible loss and achievement!

That defeat will always stay with me, but I am fortunate to have other fond memories of the confrontation with Scotland. That’s the great thing about international rugby: it’s all about winning. Win and you’re happy. Lose and it’s the end of the world.

That fine line between success and failure will be seen again on Saturday when England’s Class of 2024 take on Scotland in Edinburgh.

It will be very, very difficult for England, but I have more confidence in their chances now that Steve Borthwick has named his team. The decision to drop Freddie Steward and start George Furbank at full back is the first major decision he has made since taking charge.

Well done, Steve. It is the first time that he has overwhelmed everyone with a selection. As an international coach you must have the courage of your convictions. Selecting is an art. It is the most important part of the role at Test level. You live or die by your choice.

Whatever happens in Edinburgh, Borthwick has made the right choice. Steward is a fantastic defensive full-back. But to beat the top sides and become world number one – which should be England’s aim – you need to have a real attacking threat and pace to burn in the backfield. All the best teams in rugby history have had real speed on the wings and at fullbacks.

Borthwick’s decision on Furbank is a surprise. But he is a different player to Steward because he poses a real threat to the opposition defense as a boundary-breaking option.

Steve Borthwick made the big call to drop Freddie Steward for the match against Scotland

George Furbank’s excellent form for Northampton has earned him a recall to the England squad

Steward, despite all his qualities under the high ball, does not do that. Last year I said that Steward’s best position for England in the long term could be in the centre. I stand by that opinion. Furbank was also in sensational form for Northampton. He will go into the Scotland game as a very different player to the one who struggled on his debut against France in 2020.

Furbank is joined in the middle by the returning Ollie Lawrence. These are two positive changes. After two wins it would be easy to stick with the same XV, but it’s amazing what a new face can add to a team’s performance. Ellis Genge is also back to start at loosehead prop. The English side has pace and power. I like it a lot.

Fraser Dingwall is unlucky to drop out, but Lawrence’s form for Bath means he has had to play after recovering from injury. The key for England is to use Lawrence as best as possible. Lawrence can be a bash-and-crash centre, but that won’t be enough for England. The best teams today can deal with a purely physical threat. Lawrence is much, much more than that. He is a brilliant runner in the wide channels. He is fast. England must play in a way that allows him to play to his strengths.

When he started his career, Ma’a Nonu was all about physicality. But the All Black great developed his game to rival Will Greenwood and Mike Tindall as arguably the best all-round center in international rugby. He had everything.

I wish Manu Tuilagi had done the same in terms of learning new skills. Tuilagi has always been a great carrier. But you need more. Lawrence can do it all, so I want to see England play a game that isn’t just about looking for contact. Let’s get Lawrence and Furbank into space and see some attacking rugby.

England must find a way to stop Scottish playmaker Finn Russell at Murrayfield on Saturday

Scotland also likes to attack. If England get their new blitz defense wrong, Finn Russell will shut them down offensively. The English defense must come up quickly and as a line.

In the wins over Italy and Wales we have seen occasions where England’s defensive line has been disjointed and they have been caught out. If that happens on Saturday, they will pay the price. But if they can combine strong defense with releasing Lawrence, victory is attainable.

That would take England to three wins out of three and set up a huge clash with Ireland. England are more than capable of victory.

My screensaver is now a photo of my two granddaughters. I hope that, unlike me, Borthwick doesn’t have to have a motivational image of Saturday’s match on his laptop for as long as I did!