England play Scotland for the 129th time at Eden Park here on Saturday but rarely has so much been at stake as there is for this Rugby World Cup Pool B showdown. With Argentina odds on to get the qualifying points they need against Georgia the following day, it is either England or Scotland who will likely be starting to pack their bags for the journey home after they meet.
Following the agonising 13-12 loss to Argentina last weekend, the Scots must win, and win handsomely, if they want to maintain their record of always reaching the quarter-finals of rugby’s top competition. The reward for a Scotland upset win would probably be a matchup against the All Blacks back at Eden Park on October 9. England will be looking for a fourth straight win to set up a quarter-final match with France and they have already made it clear no mercy will be shown to the Scots.
The two sides have only met once before in the World Cup when England won 9-6 in the semifinals of the 1991 tournament.
It will also be the first time they have played at a neutral venue since they took part in the very first rugby international played in Edinburgh in 1871.
Scotland’s players know they have to produce the collective performance of a lifetime if they are to have any chance of ruining England’s hopes of a second World Cup victory. “There’s everything to play for. They’ll be coming out fighting and it’s a classic Scotland-England derby – here we go again,” said Sean Lamont who switches from the wing to inside centre.
“We know the job we need to do, but it’s still a lot of pressure. None of the boys are ready to go home yet. None of them.
“It’s not a pile of points. Eight points, we need, it’s not a massive difference.”
