It also cost them against Ireland in Dublin in round one and, in addition to Van der Merwe and Russell, the hosts cannot afford to offer Huw Jones, Blair Kinghorn and the sharp-eyed Ben White, another regular thorn in English flesh, even the tiniest of gaps to exploit.
Lawrence, though, reckons England have learned a lot over the past 12 months about themselves and how best to frustrate Scotland.
Their recent record against Scotland – one win in their past seven Calcutta Cup encounters – has involved a range of painful indignities but two familiar themes stand out.
Their names are Finn Russell and Duhan van der Merwe and, fitness permitting, the deadly duo will be back in harness in London on Saturday.
When Van der Merwe, now 29, was playing in the English Premiership with Worcester his clubmates quickly realised that all their pedigree powerhouse needed was regular feeding.
