Johnson: I have no sympathy for Scots

ENGLAND manager Martin Johnson stoked the boiler ahead of Saturday’s Calcutta Cup showdown by declaring he has no sympathy for a struggling Scotland side with “a chip on their shoulder”.

Johnson named an unchanged team for the 126th instalment of international rugby’s oldest rivalry after watching England roar back into form with an emphatic 34-10 victory over France.

Scotland have not beaten England at Twickenham in 26 years and arrive this weekend with coach Frank Hadden under increasing pressure for his job after just one win in four.

But with second place in the RBS 6 Nations championship up for grabs — and a relish for England’s cross-border rivalries — Johnson has demanded his men improve on their France performance and send Scotland packing.

“I have no sympathy for them. We have to look after ourselves,” said Johnson, who never lost to Scotland in 10 years as an England player.

“They will come down here desperate to win. They will regard themselves as underdogs and have that chip on their shoulder. It will make them difficult to beat. They haven’t won at Twickenham for a while. It will be a big thing for them if they win.

“Our motivation has got to be to improve from last week. You never say ‘same again’. You want to get better. There is a big improvement to come out of us.”

Johnson warned England to guard against complacency after such an emphatic victory over France.

“Everyone is talking like we are strong favourites but Scotland have been hard to beat. Look how Ireland celebrated when they took the lead last weekend,” said Johnson.

“It is our job to make sure we go out with the same attitude and desire as last week (when England raced into a 34-0 lead inside 42 minutes) and not to expect things to happen. If we can get three wins in the tournament after two losses in the middle which was a pretty hard period for us then it will be a huge win.”

Johnson missed England’s Murrayfield defeat to Scotland in 2000, when they blew a Grand Slam chance, but he won all nine of his Tests against the Scots. Johnson relishes the age-old rivalries thrown up by the Six Nations.

England captain Steve Borthwick described how he will be motivated to overturn Scotland by memories of their “ungracious” reaction to victory at Murrayfield last year.

Forwards coach Graham Rowntree claimed England find “equal hostility everywhere” and Johnson added: “That is the great thing about the Six Nations. All these games really matter to people. That is what makes these games great.

“What has Warren Gatland just said? That Wales dislike the Irish most of all — that is news to me!”

The last time England named an unchanged 22-man squad was the World Cup semi-final win over France in October 2007. Johnson has included Toby Flood and Joe Worsley in expectation both would be fit after their respective conditions — a shoulder injury and badly cut finger — made substantial improvements.