Jamie George's emotional message as he captains England days after mum's death

Saracens hooker Jamie George will be playing in memory of his late mother during England's Calcutta Cup match against Scotland on Saturday. His mother, Jane, who was a huge rugby fan, passed away just over a week ago. Jane was diagnosed with cancer on the same day Jamie was appointed captain of the Red Rose last month. Her health quickly worsened and she sadly passed away last Wednesday.

Despite the family's grief, George finds comfort in knowing that his mum got to see him lead his country for two matches - England's Six Nations victories over Wales and Italy.

Speaking from England's team hotel in Edinburgh city centre on Thursday evening, the 33-year-old said: "We've been going through a lot as a family for a long period."

He added: "The deterioration she had was really fast. I found out on Sunday about the fact that she was terminal, and she passed away on Wednesday (last week).

"My mum was the biggest rugby fan on earth, she loved this team, loved watching me play, she never missed a game."

He also shared a touching message he received from his mum before his first game as captain. He said: "The text I've got from her before my first game as captain is something I will treasure forever. She said it was the proudest day of her life so given what she was going through, to still be able to put a smile on her face was huge."

George was firm about wanting to continue playing for England despite his family's loss. He was present for an open training session at Twickenham the day after his mother passed away, with no doubts about leading his team-mates against Scotland.

George's father, brothers, uncle and cousin will be in the stands at Murrayfield, supporting him in what he hopes will be a healing experience amidst their grief.

"Taking time off is the last thing she would have wanted me to do," George shared. "It's not what I wanted to do.

"I feel very privileged to do what I do and hopefully the boys will agree that I've been able to fulfil my role as captain and fulfil my role as a player in this team.

"It's not an ideal situation to be in, but there was never any doubt in my mind that I wanted to be involved in this game.

"Wherever she is now, she will be looking down telling everyone that is there that her son is the England captain. I know for a fact that meant a huge amount to her.

"Whenever I've played, I've always wanted to make my family proud. It's been a huge driver for me. That won't change this weekend, it will probably be enhanced this weekend.

"It will be emotional for me coming out. It will be the first game that she won't be there. She wasn't able to come to the first two games to watch, which has been tough in itself, but before that she was always there, she never missed it.

"My dad, my uncle, my cousin and both brothers are coming up this weekend. It's going to be great for them to be able to be there. It's amazing what rugby can do in situations like this.

"When I first became captain, I spoke a lot about showing how much it means to play for England and what an amazing impact you can have on people's lives.

"I have seen it first-hand because my mum was on her death bed talking about the England rugby team and how proud she was of me being able to do what I do.

"That's absolutely incredible. She will be with me in some capacity on Saturday and that means a huge amount to me."