England rugby player Sarah Beckett has said their Six Nations clash with Scotland will be a closer affair than when the two sides met last year.

England demolished Scotland 80-0 at Twickenham 12 months ago to claim the Grand Slam title, but Beckett says their opponents on Sunday have improved a lot.

Speaking to The Telegraph, she said: "They’re on home turf and are going to be fired up for it. They’re a vastly improved side from what we played last year and have a lot of brilliant individuals who we are familiar with because they play in the Tyrrells Premier 15s."

Beckett will face Harlequins team mate and housemate Chloe Rollie this weekend and has revealed the pair have been exchanging messages in the lead up to the game.

“Chloe and I have sent each other a few texts this week about how prep has gone, without giving away too much away obviously because it’s a competition at the end of the day," she added.

“I personally don’t struggle with facing clubmates, but as soon as the final whistle goes I’ll give them both a hug.”

Scotland vs England kicks off at 12:10pm on Sunday and will be available to watch live on Sky Sports.