Here are your Six Nations headlines for Friday, February 4
Jones asks question of Scotland
Eddie Jones has begun the mind games ahead of Saturday's Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland at Murrayfield by insisting he hosts are heavy favourites for the game and questioned whether they can handle that pressure of expectation.
Jones named his starting XV for England's tournament opener with a new captain in Tom Curry and some household names missing from his team as Marcus Smith, Nick Isiekwe and Freddie Steward make their Six Nations debuts.
That combined with Scotland's recent favourable head-to-head record - having only lost once of the last four meetings - puts them in the box seat to claim victory in Edinburgh, at according to the England head coach.
"I’ve never been involved in a game at Murrayfield where Scotland are such red-hot favourites," said Jones. "That’s different for them, carrying that expectation of success.
"There will be 67,000 fans and they will be thinking about all the fans watching the game on the BBC. They have to carry that burden. For us, it’s normal. We’re expected to win every game. So that is something they’re going to have to handle."
Curry compared to McCaw
Eddie Jones has also thrown his full backing behind new England Tom Curry, comparing the Sale Sharks flanker to a "young Richie McCaw".
At 23, Curry will be England's youngest Test captain since Will Carling in 1988 when he leads the team out at Murrayfield and while there is no doubt over his talent, dealing with all the responsibilities and pressures is a different matter altogether.
Curry's position coupled with the relative inexperience of this England team is why Scotland are increasingly fancied to win in Edinburgh but Jones believes his new skipper reminds him of New Zealand legend McCaw.
"Captaincy is not about the number of caps, it's about the person who can lead a group of players by example. There is no better player in our squad than Tom to do that," Jones said.
"He reminds me of a young Richie McCaw. It's all about getting the team on the front foot. That goes in line with how we want to play the game."
Moore the latest big commentary change
Saturday's Calcutta Cup will be the last men's Six Nations match Brian Moore commentates on for the BBC with the former England hooker standing down after two decades of working on the tournament.
In the same week it was revealed that Jeremy Guscott has been dropped from the BBC coverage, his former international teammate has followed him, although Moore confirmed he would continue to work on the Women's Six Nations.
"My England career began with a Calcutta Cup, and my BBC co-comms career on the Men’s 6 Nations will end on Saturday with another. Thank you to all at BBC Sport, especially my mate, Eddie Butler. It’s been a privilege to work on some unforgettable sporting occasions," Moore wrote on Twitter.
"I’m pleased to say I will be working on the Women’s 6 Nations coverage. My commitment to women’s rugby goes back as far as 1991, helping the England forwards. Women’s rugby is the key to sustaining all rugby long term, and I’m proud to still be involved."
Rees-Zammit feels the need for speed
Wales and Gloucester wing Louis Rees-Zammit has quipped that he's got faster as last year's breakout star of the Six Nations now has the burden of expectation on his shoulders.
Rees-Zammit scored four tries during the 2021 tournament to lead Wayne Pivac's side to a surprise title win but the secret is very much out regarding his talents and stunning running ability.
With defences supposedly wiser to his threat, Rees-Zammit claims with an extra years experience he'll have to do even more than his efforts 12 months ago.
"It will be hard to beat, but I don’t want second-year syndrome. I’ve probably got faster which always helps," Rees-Zammit said. "People will know more about me now and the way I play, but I have to try and do more. I’m still the same person, I’ve just got a bit more experience."
Pivac named his team for Wales' tournament opener against Ireland with prolific wing Josh Adams starting at centre alongside Nick Tompkins due to injuries to George North, Uilisi Halaholo and the experienced Jonathan Davies being out of form.
