Greig Laidlaw bats away Eddie Jones' apology offer

New England coach Jones had initially attempted to install Scotland as favourites, citing their superior performance at the World Cup, but this week the Australian said: “I know [Scotland coach] Vern [Cotter] was upset about that so I apologise and if you want me to write a letter, I’ll write a letter of apology. We’re happy to be favourites.”

Laidlaw said yesterday: “I don’t take anything from these sort of games. Eddie can say what he likes. The more talking he does about us and different things hopefully the less he is concentrating on England.”

Jones has said that mind games are “part of the process” and added: “I think it is an important part of the game. Warren Gatland does it exceedingly well, doesn’t he? Clive Woodward wasn’t too bad at it and he’s knighted. So he was knighted for doing mind games.”

Laidlaw, meanwhile, was happy to leave the fixing of the odds to others.

“I don’t know [if Scotland are favourites or not]. You will have to phone the bookmakers. I am not a betting man so we will just control our controllables and give it everything we’ve got.”