Scotland have not been able to lay so much as a glove on England since however.

Instead it has been one-way traffic, with the Red Roses juggernaut steaming through Scotland again and again.

England have played Scotland 34 times in total, and, apart from those two defeats from another millennia, have won every time.

In the past five meetings, the average points difference between the teams has stretched to nearly 50.

The Auld Enemy has become old news; a rivalry devoid of jeopardy, a bitter punchline delivered on repeat for the Scots.

Kennedy believes the current gap between the teams is due to three things; structure, investment and raw numbers.

“There are a lot more players in England, firstly,” she says.

“Secondly, it is the pathways for players to become internationals. England set them up early on. They were ahead of every nation in that, not just Scotland.

“England were a lot quicker off the mark with investing in both sevens and XVs, which then feeds into domestic rugby. You don’t just become an international player, you have to come though those clubs.”

Kennedy is hopeful that the Celtic Challenge, a cross-border club competition with teams from Scotland, Ireland and Wales that launched in 2023, can provide a proving ground to rival England’s PWR in time.

Ange Postecoglou says he doesn’t “have to prove anything to anyone” as he starts his reign as Nottingham Forest’s new boss.

Postecoglou was appointed on Tuesday, with the club sacking Nuno Espirito Santo late on Monday after 21 months in charge at the City Ground.

The Australian returns to management three months after he was sacked by Tottenham following a dismal Premier League season, in which they finished 17th.

However, Postecoglou ended Spurs’ 17-year trophy drought by leading them to the Europa League title in May.

The 60-year-old was initially praised for the attacking style he implemented at Spurs, but he was forced to defend himself from criticism for sticking to his high-intensity principles as Spurs lost 22 of their 38 league matches last season.

Asked if he wanted to prove doubters wrong, Postecoglou said: “I don’t see it as a point to prove. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone.

“I do like my teams to play exciting football and score goals and get fans excited. I make no apologies about that, that’s just the way I am.”

He joked that he would find out “who the true Ange believers” are as he makes the switch from Spurs to Forest.

Postecoglou’s first game in charge will be on Saturday as Forest travel to Arsenal.

The Vuelta a Espana, the third and final three-week Grand Tour of the year, is currently taking place in Spain – but will it make it to Sunday’s finish line in Madrid?

Pro-Palestinian protestors have disrupted the race on several occasions and with riders saying they are worried for their safety, there have been suggestions the competitors might quit the Vuelta before the final stage.

Asked whether the race should be ended early, the Vuelta organisers – who have had to shorten a number of stages – insisted there is “no Plan B” and that the race will continue until it reaches its conclusion in the Spanish capital.

“We are going to continue with La Vuelta,” said race director Javier Guillen, who added that the disruptions were “illegal”.

However, Thursday’s time trial has been reduced from 27.2km to 12.2km to ensure “greater protection” for the riders.

The focus of the protests has been Israel-Premier Tech, the sponsors of a team which includes several British riders. The team changed to a kit that does not feature the team name midway through the race.

The protests come in the wake of the Israeli military launching a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 64,605 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since then, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Ending a Grand Tour early would be unprecedented. With just four stages remaining – including a huge, mountainous challenge on the penultimate day – the outcome of the race is still undecided.

A similar number of students from school attended Newcastle’s most recent Champions League game, against AC Milan in 2023.

A spokesman for the school previously said the tickets were “bought as part of a group package”.

But Newcastle do not have an authorised reseller and the only way to sell season tickets is through the club’s official platform at face value.

Lisa Mole, chair of the Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST), said fans are “fighting every week to get a ticket”.

“We have members who pay a membership fee every year who are not guaranteed a ticket, and we have had numerous members contact us who did not get one ticket in the ballot last season,” she said.

“It’s a ballot – people are not guaranteed a ticket – but it does sting when they see people who are not necessarily Newcastle supporters being given an opportunity to go to such a high-profile game.”

It is understood that 78 Newcastle season tickets or memberships have been cancelled this season for unauthorised selling.

About 4,500 membership accounts are on an internal watchlist because of suspicious activity, while about 750 supporters are being actively monitored for potential touting.

Newcastle are purchasing unauthorised tickets in an attempt to identify the sellers.

More than 130,000 bot attempts have also been foiled for the Barcelona game.