THREE wins in 26 years. It is the kind of Calcutta Cup record which would have punctured the enthusiasm of even the most ardent punter who filed triumphantly out of Murrayfield and into the watering holes of Auld Reekie on the evening of March 17, 1990.

But Tony Stanger, famously Scotland's try scorer that day, reckons that - just like they did back then - our rugby players have earned the right to walk that fine line between confidence and over-confidence when it comes to their chances of sending England back home to think again in this evening's Six Nations opener.

"In the Grand Slam game, without being over-confident, we thought we could win it, and I think it should be the same this time," Stanger told Herald Sport. "I can't really think of a time in recent times when we have genuinely had a 50/50 match with England. They have had a few changes in there and Scotland have performed well so there is every chance of a good victory and it would be great to start the championship with a win."

The only down side is that Cotter and the entire brains trust at the SRU's disposal are unlikely to come up with such an artfully choreographed once-only opening gambit as David Sole's death march into battle that day. That idea, casually concocted by Sole and others a few days before the match, was the kind of modern masterstroke which even mind games gurus such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho or Novak Djokovic would be proud. Even now, the memory of it sends shivers down Stanger's spine.

"It took us from thinking we could win this to knowing that we could," he said. "It wasn't an arrogance thing. That was just the way that the crowd lifted our team. Who really knew what the reaction was going to be like? It is not like you can do that again. It was a one-off that worked, everything just fell into line."

While the wily Ian McGeechan kept England out of their comfort zone with unorthodox restarts and the like, today another tactical battle will unfold in the coaching box. While England, for all their resources, are in a transitional phase under Eddie Jones, Scotland's Kiwi head coach Vern Cotter has solid foundations to build on. Scottish rugby has had a nasty habit of peaks and troughs but it is imperative that the upward curve should continue.

"I am sure the players aren't looking back to the World Cup," said Stanger. "That is gone now, it is history, you have got to move forward. As a supporter we have had a few lean years, that is not me being a typical pessimistic Scot, that is just the reality of the situation.

"Again, as has happened a few times in the last few years, there has been a bit of optimism coming in from the Autumn period," he added. "And I am really excited for the game. Having done so well in the World Cup it would be really disappointing to revert back to a one-win, or no-win season like we have had in the last few years. We have got the players for that not to happen. When you think about where those wins are going to come from, we have England and France at home, Wales, Ireland and Italy away, we have to look at this is one of the ones we have our best chance of winning."

The world has changed since 1990 and rugby has changed with it. Unlike 26 years ago, the strongest post-match tipple most of the guys will partake in will be an electrolyte or protein shake. Some would say the passion of the sport is being neutered but Stanger is having none of it.

"I actually don't think there is any less passion, I just think players have to be a bit more careful in this day and age," he said. "We had to fit rugby in around the rest of our lives, while for them it is their whole life. Anything at all they say now, whether it is tweets or anything else, it always gets picked up on, so players have to be a little bit more careful.

"Back then, after the game you had a good night out on the Saturday, nursed a hangover on the Sunday and then it was back to work on the Monday," added Stanger, who runs his own Stanger Pro consulting business. "There was an escape from the day job, while now they are straight into recovery the next day.

"This is probably the most even game between these teams we have had for a number of years but both sides will be controlled - there is absolutely no point in running around there like headless chickens." Be that as it may, it would be nice to find Scotland supplanting the Auld Enemy in the sport's pecking order for a change.