Scotland study Japan tactics ahead of England showdown
Friday 29 January 2016 16:52, UK
Scotland are studying videos of Japan's glorious World Cup campaign in a bid to second-guess England's tactics under Eddie Jones.
The Calcutta Cup showdown at Murrayfield on February 6 will be Jones' first match in charge of England since he took over the job from Stuart Lancaster.
And as part of their preparations for the Six Nations' opener, the Scots have been analysing Japan's tactics at the World Cup where they won three matches - most notably against mighty South Africa, the greatest upset in the competition's history.
Scrum-half Sam Hidalgo-Jones said: "We don't know a huge amount about England and what we can expect from them as a side since Eddie has taken over.
"But there is still a lot of the same players in the squad and we know what they can do as individuals. We know enough about them to know they are dangerous.
"Eddie was a brilliant coach with Japan and we have been looking at some of their games as well as some tapes of England's recent games and we will combine the two and come up with a plan to deal with them.
"It's about looking back and seeing some of the styles of play he has adopted with Japan. He likes set-piece dominance and return play.
"Now he is with England, he will obviously look at the players he has, the abilities they've got and work around that."
The Scots also hope to squeeze every last drop of knowledge out of Saracens centre Duncan Taylor ahead of their Edinburgh battle.
Taylor knows all about the methods of new England defence coach Paul Gustard from working with him at the Aviva Premiership champions.
Jones made the 39-year-old's appointment one of his key priorities after accepting the role and plans to copy the system which made Sarries the meanest rearguard in Europe.
"I think having Duncan here helps a lot," said Hidalgo-Clyne. "He's been asked a few questions from the coaches about what he thinks will happen with England's defensive side.
"He's definitely helped us out with the analysis side and to work out a solution."
