The Tartan Army (officer class) march on Twickenham in a mood pitched somewhere between resignation and outright dejection. In the circumstances, none but the most blinkered of uber-patriots would castigate the fans for losing a little faith . With even some in the camp sounding as if there may be no beginning to their ambitions on Saturday evening, it’s hard to foresee anything but a handsome home victory. It is almost impossible to imagine this young – in parts - visiting side succeeding where so many hardened men have failed. Oh, if ever we needed a touch of the gallus swagger that plays such a beloved part in our nation’s sporting mythology, it is today at Rugger HQ. Somewhere amid the mix of technique and aggression required to stifle England, it would be awfully nice if someone from the current crop showed some inspired – maybe even swashbuckling – leadership. Vern Cotter's squad need to find a new source of inspiration if they are to triumph at Twickenham . Jonny Gray may only turn 21 on Saturday, but he has emerged as a key leader in this Scottish squad . Stuart Hogg (second left) is all smiles ahead of Saturday's Calcutta Cup clash in London . Greig Laidlaw is captain, of course. A tidy enough scrum-half well positioned to make split-second decisions on how to use the ball, he has plenty to concern himself with. Among the forwards, an increasing burden is falling on Jonny Gray, who turns 21 on Saturday. Many happy returns and all that. A member of Vern Cotter’s ‘leadership group’, the man to whom Laidlaw hands his armband when replaced, the youngster is involved in calling line-outs and directing the pack. The risk, of course, is that the burden of responsibility dulls the energy and skills that make Gray such an exciting prospect. Would it be better, perhaps, to leave him to concentrate on his own game? Scotland know they will need to be strong in the battle up front if they want to be in touch towards the end . Scotland hooker Ross Ford leads a passing drill during Scotland's final preparations for Saturday's game . ‘Ideally, yeah, you may think that,’ admits Scotland assistant coach Jonathan Humphreys, the former Wales captain adding: ‘But I compare him to Alun Wyn Jones, who I coached at a very similar age. ‘These kids, they want it, they demand it. It is a growth within them. And, with Jonny, he doesn’t see it as a burden. He wants to grow, he wants to learn. ‘What I’ve seen from him, he’s a 20-year-old kid, I’ve seen a huge growth in him in terms of how he handles himself within the group. He will use the experience of the last game, losing to Italy. He is a kid who will not repeat errors. He learns all the time. What Scotland will get out of this is just a phenomenal leader and a phenomenal character.’ If it’s obviously asking a bit much for Gray to emerge chrysalis-like from his cocoon in time to out-think and overpower a hugely effective English pack today, this might also be a perfect opportunity for the kid – winning only his 12th cap – to provide some firm and effective direction. The Scotland players have spent part of this week watching video footage of last season’s humiliation at the hands of England, as well as dissecting the horror show against Italy just a fortnight ago. Scotland go through their paces at Twickenham on Friday - it's an important game for them to restore pride . Humphreys warned: ‘If you go into a game just with passion and heated fervour then that lasts maybe 15 or 20 minutes. It is about process, the technicalities of what you are trying to do. ‘That’s the thing about getting it right. I don’t think we got that wrong last year, it was just systematic errors that are still in our game at the moment. We need to learn from them and eradicate them. We need to get smarter as a group. ‘We have a young group who need to understand that being on the wrong end of the penalty count does exert a lot of pressure on yourself. How do we eradicate that and make sure we are a little more disciplined in those areas? ‘Obviously, you pull apart a game piece by piece. That’s what we’ve done with the Italy game. We obviously took a step back in that game.’ The last thing we wanted, heading into this penultimate Six Nations weekend, was a loss of momentum. Twickenham is a tough enough venue for visitors on a high, never mind those struggling for confidence. Scotland coach Jonathan Humphreys says Gray is thriving under the pressure, just as Alun Wyn Jones did . Scotland fly half Finn Russell (left) and full back Stuart Hogg work on their kicking on Friday . Those of us who have been making this pilgrimage, on and off, since the dying days of the amateur era can remember when Scotland’s miserable streak here – only four wins in history, the most ‘recent’ in 1983 – felt odd, given that both sides were usually closely matched. With each passing loss, though, the sequence of results becomes more of a reflection on the gulf between these former rivals. England have moved on, found new best enemies, chucked us. Stick on the mournful Adele numbers and weep into your cloudy local ale … . Today, they *shouldn’t* need to do much more than bully the Scottish forwards, a unit so effectively driven about Murrayfield by their Italian tormentors. ‘The game will be based around scrummaging for penalties and driving lineouts,’ said Humphreys, seeking no prizes for predicting the obvious. ‘We defended 19 driving lineouts at Murrayfield last year, so we are aware of the strengths and how they want to play.’ They will take some stopping. At the end of a week when even head coach Cotter has spoken about keeping things tight and staying in the game until the final 20 minutes, it feels like Scotland will do well to avoid being absolutely flattened. Unless … unless. Ah, we’re not going to go down that road again. Are we?
Scotland haven't beaten England at HQ since 1983 . Young second row Jonny Gray is becoming a big leader for Scotland . Visitors will need to be tough up front to avoid being steamrollered .