More than eight in 10 Scots consider England to be their biggest rival

The study, conducted by pub company and brewer Greene King, revealed 85% of Scots consider the ‘auld rival’ to be England, yet only three in 10 (31%) from south of the border feel the same way about Scotland.

The same amount of English (30%) are more concerned with the French than the Scots, hinting perhaps at a more one-sided rivalry between old foes England and Scotland.

What’s more, three in four Scots (73%) say they support whoever England is playing against whenever Scotland aren’t participating. In comparison, just 15% of English reciprocate this.

The news comes as the ancient rivalry between two established rugby tribes renews this weekend with the two nations facing off to claim the Calcutta Cup in this year’s Six Nations, with Scotland looking to retain the trophy for the fifth year running.

To celebrate 25 years of the Six Nations, Greene King has brought together former England and Scotland stars Danny Care and Ryan Wilson alongside Wales Legend Gareth Thomas.

Once fierce and well publicised rivals on the field, Care and Wilson have set aside their differences to settle in and enjoy all the Six Nations action in the pub, linking up with Thomas to embrace all the quirky, unique characteristics of rugby players that we see on the field, and delving into how rugby language can trickle into everyday life.

In a hilarious video created by Greene King during the players’ get-together, the trio gave positions - like winger and fly-half - to drinkers to identify who was more likely to buy a round or who is always in the middle of a scrum.

Former England international Danny Care said: “The Six Nations is one of the most coveted international rugby tournaments in the world and provides fans with the opportunity to enjoy one of the oldest and biggest rivalries in sport, perfect to be enjoyed with family or friends in the pub.

“This Greene King study hints towards a potentially one-sided rivalry between England and Scotland, however, I can assure fans it doesn’t feel like that on the pitch! Once you’re out there you’re desperate to win, whoever you’re playing, but facing off against Scotland always gives the game a little extra spice!”

Michelle West, Head of Sport at Greene King, said: “The Six Nations is an incredible time of year and we’ve already seen thousands of customers visiting our pubs to watch the first rounds of the tournament.

“This weekend is arguably the biggest of the lot, with England and Scotland facing off in the Calcutta Cup. However, we were keen to see just how important the rivalry was to each nation, and it’s interesting to discover that it may have become a little one sided!

“The Scots definitely seem to have somewhat of a disliking to the English when it comes to sports, whereas the English equally see a rivalry with the French as much as the Scots. Despite this, we know it’s all healthy competition and nothing brings people together like watching sport in the pub.

“Almost half of Brits (43%) are planning on watching the Six Nations in a pub this year, so why not put those plans into action and head down to your local Greene King Sport pub, where we’ll be showing every game live across more than 900 locations.”

For further information, and to book your spot for this year’s Six Nations, head to the Belhaven website here: https://www.belhaven.co.uk/sports/rugby/six-nations