Edinburgh: While Eddie Jones snarled his way through England’s press conference, radiating not-so-passive aggression and generally giving the impression of a man feeling the tourniquet of big match pressure tighten, 643km to the north there was an unexpected outbreak of sweetness and light in the world of ‘Stern Vern’. As the Scotland coach announced an unchanged side against England, there was an end-of-days feeling to Vern Cotter’s final public appearance ahead of Saturday’s Calcutta Cup match.

England are such overwhelming favourites, and expectations of a Scotland side who have not won at Twickenham for 34 years are so low, that there is only one coach here with anything to fear, and it is not Cotter. Jones, on the other hand, has a lot to lose — a Triple Crown, potential Grand Slam, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to equal the All Blacks’ record winning run.

By contrast, this is a win-win for the visitors: Scotland and Cotter clearly believe that they can win at Twickenham, but as long as they perform well then failure isn’t terminal.

It’s not like Cotter’s going to get fired. The Kiwi has first-hand experience of the pressure Jones is under. “Eddie and I get on well but he’s very competitive and they’re obviously playing for something that’s important to them on a field where it’s important they win,” said Cotter. “When the Clermont team I coached was on a 77-match home winning run, that feeling of constant pressure was a very real thing. It was something that was spoken about every week by the press and it eventually becomes the big subject of the match. The more it’s spoken about, the more it’s talked about within the group, as well. It can really bring added pressure.”

Asked whether England’s winning run has been a big topic of conversation among the Scotland team, Cotter just smiled. “It hasn’t been discussed,” he said. “Neither has the Triple Crown or the Calcutta Cup. For us, it’s just about the team and trying to get the content right.”

For Scotland, containing the raw power of England’s forwards will be key. “Unlike France they will offload only when they are comfortable because they’re more of a percentage-based team, a power-based team,” said Cotter. “They have momentum surges, so we need to stop them as quickly as possible, before they get front-foot ball, where they’re very dangerous. The key is to defend as early as possible so they don’t get that surge that comes after several phases going forward.”

Yet if Scotland have proved themselves susceptible to power, they have also shown remarkable resilience and an ability to scramble in defence and counterattack ruthlessly. The visitors’ back-row may be smaller, but it is also quicker and in Hamish Watson they have a player capable of dominating the breakdown.

So, expect Scotland to kick for field position and kick-chase aggressively, as they did against Wales.

Another certainty is that Alex Dunbar will clatter into George Ford as early as possible.