So where will this game be won and lost?
“The strength of England’s bench forwards might be what decides it,” says Brown, who points to injuries to second rows Scott Cummings and Max Williamson and the absence of hooker George Turner, who started all four of the four in a row.
“For Scotland, the scrum will have to be good. It’s creaked over the first two weeks at times but it needs to be solid and I imagine Zander [Fagerson] will be on the pitch for as close to 80 as he can manage.
“The lineout needs to improve as well. Scotland just need ball. They didn’t have a platform against Ireland.
“The breakdown will be massive. It wasn’t good against Ireland or Italy and England have a lot of jackal threats starting and on the bench.
“It won’t just be about losing the ball on the floor; Scotland can’t afford slow rucks. Quick ball will kill England’s defence.”
And what of this notion that Scotland’s pack couldn’t punch its way through a paper bag? Short shrift is given to that by Brown.
“Scotland’s forwards got overpowered against Ireland, but no-one was saying that in the autumn when they went toe-to-toe with the Springboks for 50 minutes, or when they battered Ireland last year, or after they won the last four Calcutta Cups,” he says.
Scotland fell away that day, says Brown, but England are not as good as Ireland. He thinks it is going to be close.
No Woodwardian hutzpah? “Can we just retire him?” he replies. “His opinion on the modern game is outdated and lacks education.” Not a fan, then.
