Why England vs Scotland is always one to watch

If you think the Calcutta Cup is just any old rugby match between England and Scotland, then the latest in BT Sport’s fine series of documentaries should put you straight. It’s called The Grudge and is about the 1990 Calcutta Cup, the climax to the Five Nations with everything at stake for the first and only time: the Grand Slam, the Triple Crown, the Championship and the Cup itself. The film is narrated by the actor Robert Carlyle, so not entirely unsympathetic to the men of Scotland.

Craig Chalmers, looking slightly less boyish these days, chews the fat with Peter Winterbottom, who still looks like someone you wouldn’t relish packing down against. Flanker John Jeffrey sits on his Land Rover on his Borders farmland reminiscing while an amiable cow wanders by. Winger Tony Stanger smiles as he’s asked about the faint controversy over whether he touched down the decisive try in the epic 13-7 victory.

As soon as the singing finished, Will Carling’s England, the strong favourites, realised they might be in trouble

England weren’t popular north of the border so much then (were they ever?). Mrs Thatcher had just introduced the poll tax in Scotland, which hadn’t gone down well. Shipbuilding and steel were being hollowed out, and the previous year ‘God Save the Queen’ had been booed. This was the first outing for ‘Flower of Scotland’ at Murrayfield, sung with a fervour that would have raised the roof had there been one. As soon as the singing finished, Will Carling’s England, the strong favourites, realised they might be in trouble. Jeremy Guscott tried to catch the eye of his Lions teammate Gavin Hastings, but there wasn’t a flicker coming back. ‘Uh oh,’ thought Guscott. Hastings was in the zone.