England v Scotland: Maro Itoje says hosts must control emotion in Calcutta Cup

England must control their emotions to help “create a new story” in Calcutta Cup history when they face Scotland on Saturday, says captain Maro Itoje.

Scotland are targeting a record fifth successive win over England when the sides renew their rivalry in an “absolutely huge” Six Nations match at Allianz Stadium.

England have not beaten Gregor Townsend’s side since a 2020 victory at Murrayfield and have not won at Twickenham since 2017.

Duhan van der Merwe scored a hat-trick to help Scotland defeat Steve Borthwick’s side last year.

But Steve Borthwick’s side go into this weekend’s match with their title hopes alive – and possibly as favourites – following a morale-boosting 26-25 win over pre-tournament favourites France.

“We are not happy about our recent history against Scotland,” Itoje told BBC Sport. “This is an opportunity to create a new story and narrative.

“All the games have been equally as annoying and painful.

“From our point of view, we need to make sure our mentality is right first and foremost and we need to make sure that we have a level of accuracy and execution that allows us to take the opportunities when they come.”

The Saracens lock is known for his enthusiasm and emotion on the pitch, which is often seen when his side wins penalties.

He wants his side to be “full of emotion” but does not want “blind emotion” as he says that can affect a team’s accuracy.

“You don’t want blind rage and you don’t want blind, beating-your-chest fury, but you need some of that,” the 30-year-old said.

“Rugby is not a game of brute force alone, you need accuracy and you need to have the composure to identify space and execute.

“Rugby is an emotional game. In my humble opinion, it is a game that requires more emotion than most other sports because of the nature of what we do.

“This is an absolutely huge game. It is a brilliant opportunity to change the narrative there and get England back to winning the Calcutta Cup.”