After the Lord Mayor’s Show on Saturday afternoon in Cardiff — where their title hopes will be crushed or resurrected — England will set about further diminishing the value of the old Calcutta Cup at Twickenham. Stuart Lancaster’s team cannot lose. The notion of defeat is unthinkable, in an increasingly downgraded fixture. Last year, the Red Rose raiders left Murrayfield with a 20-0 victory and the scoreline fairly reflected the poverty of the Scottish display. If anything, it flattered them. England go through the motions in training as Courtney Lawes offloads the ball at Twickenham . Tom Wood passes the ball as England ran through their moves for the final time before the Scotland clash . England will be wounded after their defeat to Ireland, and are sure to bounce back by beating Scotland . Chris Robshaw lifts the Calcutta Cup aloft after winning it at Murrayfield last year . Stuart Lancaster's men need a win against Scotland, and should get it against the wooden spoon candidates . Since then, Vern Cotter has brought Kiwi steel and some encouraging results, but Saturday's visitors are bottom of the RBS 6 Nations table after three straight defeats — the last at home to Italy — and they have not won in south west London for two generations. Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister the last time Scotland left Twickenham as conquerors, in 1983. Since then, they have endured 32 years of failure at the home of their ‘Auld Enemy’ and this does not appear to be the occasion when that dire run is destined to come to an end. Andy Farrell summed up England’s mood on Friday, saying: ‘I’ll be disappointed if we don’t get the performance this week — and with that hopefully we could be able to keep the record going.’ So, at the end of a week which began with Stuart Hogg bemoaning a lack of English ‘respect’ for Scottish rugby, the Lions full-back and his team-mates have a prime opportunity to regain it, by claiming a win which would amount to one of the upsets of the era. They will be desperate to salvage a crumbling campaign but England are also in wounded mode after their beating in Dublin, which derailed the Grand Slam bandwagon for the umpteenth year. Given the vast gulf in playing resources between the two nations, England would have the clout to prevail with three or four entirely different line-ups. James Haskell goes for a run with the ball as England prepared for the must-win fixture at Twickenham . George Ford works on his kicking as Danny Cipriani watches on during the final training session . Ben Youngs throws as pass as England's forwards look on, ahead of a game they should win easily . England could beat Scotland with three of four different XVs, and will have more than enough on Saturday . Scotland go through their paces at Twickenham on Friday - it's an important game for them to restore pride . That is not to denigrate the Scots; it is just a reflection of stark reality. Cotter’s side have dropped to 10th in the World Rugby rankings, six places behind England who have shifted clear of fifth-placed Australia. Another defeat for Scotland would leave them in danger of being over-taken by Japan, while losing further ground on Samoa above them. So if Lancaster and his squad have any pretensions of mounting a meaningful World Cup challenge, this is a fixture with no safety net. They cannot lose, because to do so would shatter all hope of going into the tournament with their stadium regarded as a place where visiting teams fear to tread. Defeat would wreck the quest to create that fortress-feel at Twickenham and would also ensure that England could not rely on telling momentum to propel them into the showpiece event in September and October. It is quite feasible these nations will meet again in a World Cup quarter-final at the same venue on October 18. The thought of losing that one would be enough to give Lancaster sleepless nights for the next seven months. The last time Scotland beat England at Twickenham in 1983, Margaret Thatcher was still Prime Minister . John Beattie celebrates a Scotland try, but the Calcutta Cup has been devalued by England's dominance since . Fortunately for the head coach, he has a squad who are driven by a fervent desire to make amends for their loss to Ireland, and more than enough trump cards to ensure this is an occasion devoid of tension and a nasty shock at the end. What is crucially absent from the English armoury is an ability to shape their own championship destiny. In the hours before kick-off, they must decide whether to stay true to their pre-match plan involving a black-out of all news from Cardiff, where Wales can do them an almighty favour by ending Ireland’s Slam crusade at the penultimate stage. Instead of being distracted by a game elsewhere which will all but confirm whether they remain in the title hunt, England will abide by one of their favourite mantras: ‘control the controllables’. The coaches will expect the returning Courtney Lawes to galvanise the home pack and shore up the line-out operation, while Mike Brown’s recall after injury will add nous to the back line. There will be blunt demands for a better start, better discipline, more assurance under the high ball and more collective conviction at the breakdown — with a particular onus on captain Chris Robshaw in that department. Stuart Lancaster's side could face Scotland in the World Cup quarter-finals, which may worry them more . Scotland present more of a creative threat than in the recent past, despite the cruel injury to one of their stellar centres, Alex Dunbar. Matt Scott is a fine replacement, while Hogg can run amok from deep and Finn Russell is a daring orchestrator at No 10, alongside the canny Greig Laidlaw. But none of them can function without the ball. Despite the imposing size and abrasive streak of the Scottish pack, they should be out-gunned up front. If the hosts’ set-piece holds sway, which is likely, and Billy Vunipola can get his side on the front foot, George Ford has the tools to unleash an array of predatory outside runners. England must win and they will win. The Calcutta Cup is no longer the cherished prize that it once was, so retaining it is a minimum requirement.
England's fate is not in their own hands, but they have to beat Scotland . Defeat is unthinkable for Stuart Lancaster's side against weak Scots . England are a wounded animal after Ireland defeat . A win for Scotland would be one of the upsets of the era . Calcutta Cup is no longer the prize it once was, retaining it is a minimum .