STING AND A PRAYER

Itoje will take to the field today with his father looking for divine help as England aim to unleash fury on a team they haven't beaten at Twickenham for EIGHT years

- ADAM HATHAWAY

MARO ITOJE'S father, Efe, will pray for the England captain before he attempts to unleash controlled fury on the Scots at Twickenham today.

England could have done with some divine intervention in recent Calcutta Cup clashes, having lost the last four and not beaten Scotland at HQ for eight years.

Itoje will chat with his dad before the team board a bus from Richmond where they stay on Fridays before games - to head to the ground.

And once there the skipper will urge his side to bring the emotion to their game without letting the lid blow off.

Itoje said: "My dad likes to pray for me before a game so before we leave the hotel I'll often speak to him and he'll say a short prayer for me.

"You don't want blind rage and you don't want blind, beating-your-chest fury, but you need some of that.

You definitely need an element of that, but you also need accuracy.