After captaining the side to a draw in Wales (the first time in 20 years we had not lost there), I was dropped from the squad and replaced by Nigel Melville. Four days before the Calcutta Cup match I was in a Manchester night-club drowning my sorrows when I got a call telling me that due to injuries I was back in the team. We were expected to win, even though Scotland had many good players, but I was ordered to pass every time I got the ball rather than run or kick. It was a tactical blunder and this loose approach played into Scotland’s hands. The way to beat Scotland is to dominate them up front and keep the game tight. It was my last England cap but I can’t complain – I had a great career Calcutta Cup games are always heated occasions.

Everybody hates the English, but there are degrees of hatred and the Scots seem to hate us more than anyone else.1989: England 12 Scotland 12Finlay Calder won the 19th of his 34 Scotland caps at wing- forward.It would be safe to say it was a pretty turgid affair. I had just become captain and we were in a transition period with a newish team, but we had a reasonable amount of confidence having beaten Wales in our previous game. Many people regarded it as an honourable draw, but I remember getting back to the changing-room afterwards and thinking we’d got away with it. Twickenham is such a hard place to go to and our record there is dreadful.

England always have a big pack, but my opposite number that day was Andy Robinson and I was quite relieved because he was three inches shorter than me. He’d had an outstanding game against Australia a few months earlier but found it difficult this time. A lot of Scots came down to support us before professionalism but not so many will come from now on – it’s too expensive.1993: England 26 Scotland 12Tony Underwood won the third of 21 England caps on the wing.Stuart Barnes was playing his first international in five years and I was back after missing two games Our three tries all came in the first half The second, by my brother Rory, was superb. Barnes broke from our 22 and passed to Jeremy Guscott who beat three players before releasing Rory. Five minutes later we won the ball inside the Scottish 22 and it went down our line. I looped outside Rory, who put me over in the left corner for my second England try (my first, against South Africa, also came from a pass from Rory).