Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 10, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 10, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleMaro Itoje returns as captain for England's Six Nations match against Scotland, with key changes including Luke Cowan-Dickie. England aims to continue their winning streak.
LONDON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Lock Maro Itoje returns to captain England in their Six Nations match away to Scotland on Saturday, with hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie the only other change to the team that beat Wales 48-7 in their opening game.
Itoje started that match on the bench - and was yellow-carded almost immediately after coming on - having missed training following his mother's funeral.
Jamie George, who led England against Wales, drops to the bench, where flyhalf Fin Smith is included ahead of Marcus Smith in a 6-2 split.
England have lost three of their last four Calcutta Cup games at Murrayfield but, on a run of 12 wins in a row, they will start favourites against their oldest rivals, who lost to Italy in their opening Six Nations game.
England team to play Scotland at Murrayfield:
15–Freddie Steward, 14–Tom Roebuck, 13–Tommy Freeman, 12–Fraser Dingwall, 11–Henry Arundell, 10–George Ford, 9–Alex Mitchell, 8–Ben Earl, 7–Sam Underhill, 6–Guy Pepper, 5–Ollie Chessum, 4–Maro Itoje, 3–Joe Heyes, 2–Luke Cowan‑Dickie, 1–Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16–Jamie George, 17–Bevan Rodd, 18–Trevor Davison, 19–Alex Coles, 20–Tom Curry, 21–Henry Pollock, 22–Ben Spencer, 23–Fin Smith.
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ed Osmond)
A captain in rugby is a player who leads the team on the field, makes strategic decisions, and represents the team during discussions with referees.
The Six Nations is an annual rugby union competition involving six European countries: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales.
A yellow card in rugby is a disciplinary sanction given to a player for a serious infringement, resulting in a temporary suspension from the game.
A replacement in rugby refers to a player who comes onto the field to substitute for another player, often due to injury or tactical changes.
A lock in rugby is a forward player who plays in the second row of the scrum, known for their height and strength, crucial for lineouts and scrummaging.
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