Murrayfield ‘the perfect place’ for England to go next, claims Lawes

Courtney Lawes believes Saturday’s clash with Scotland at Murrayfield offers the England team the perfect platform to prove their maturity.

England slumped to a 24-17 defeat to France in their opening Six Nations encounter in Paris on Sunday, with Eddie Jones’ side failing to score a point in the opening half.

Jonny May scored two tries for the visitors to set up the chance of a grandstand finish, but Les Bleus ultimately held firm.

Scotland, meanwhile, were defeated by Ireland in their opener, and Lawes – who is the second-most capped player in Jones’ squad – is relishing the trip to Edinburgh, with the Calcutta Cup at stake.

“It’s the perfect place to go for us, because there is going to be some adversity without a shadow of a doubt,” he told BBC Radio 5Live.

“It will be great for the maturity of our squad, and the players in it and the leadership group to show what we can learn from the weekend to take into this game.

“They don’t really like us there but it’s something we kind of like to embrace and get out there and play some fiery rugby.”

53 caps. 29 tries

Jonny May’s two tries against France moved him above Jason Robinson as England’s fifth highest try scorer of all time #GuinnessSixNations #CarryThemHome pic.twitter.com/TUWzNgPsUp

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 5, 2020

Lawes also insisted it is on England’s leaders to take responsibility on the pitch, as they aim to work out a way to prosper when not necessarily on top in a game.

“We have a leadership group in place and they are responsible for making decisions on the field. You don’t want too many people talking, especially when you are under pressure,” he said.

“Owen [Farrell] has got his role as skipper, and then we as lieutenants – or whatever you want to call it – have our role trying to figure out how he can do his role best.

“We know we are good when we get the game plan right and we are executing. But now we need to work on when things aren’t going to plan, where we go to next.

“We need to be better at identifying where we are struggling and adapting to that situation to get momentum back where you are struggling to get anything from the referee, or a bounce of a ball, how can you gain back that control.

“We have some serious experience. [Head coach] Eddie [Jones] has given us the opportunity to be a part of that, and it is something we need to step up and do.”

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