Who will be in England’s Six Nations squad? The decisions facing Steve Borthwick
England’s head coach Steve Borthwick will name around 35 players in his Six Nations squad on Wednesday, with one eye on the next World Cup in 2027 and the other on getting results now.
Since winning the Six Nations in 2020, England have continued beating Italy every year (whoopee), but otherwise have won just one of their four matches in the Championship each season, finishing fifth, third and fourth in that time – a dire run not seen since the mid-1980s.
And yet the mood watching English clubs in the Premiership and Champions Cup of late has been buoyant. Northampton, Harlequins, Bath and Exeter are leading the league with fluent attack, or counter-attack. They all use kicking, of course, but not to the extreme extent of Borthwick’s approach in the World Cup.
If form is a guide, expect handfuls of players from those clubs to be called up or recalled. And when you factor in the caveats of injury and suspension and voluntary withdrawals, there may be less continuity from the World Cup than might have been envisaged.
Owen Farrell has stepped aside, and Courtney Lawes, Ben Youngs, Mako Vunipola and Jonny May have retired from Tests. So either Jamie George or Ellis Genge will take over as captain, although George is in recovery from a neck injury, while Genge should return soon from a hamstring problem. Joe Marchant, Jack Willis, Henry Arundell and Dave Ribbans are among those off limits playing for clubs in France.
The treatment room is as busy as ever. Sale’s Tom Curry, Bevan Rodd and Manu Tuilagi will miss all or part of the Six Nations injured, while Joe Marler has a bicep problem that is due an update later this week, while his club-mate, the free-scoring wing Cadan Murley, is out until March with a foot injury.
Sam Underhill is “not far off” returning from an ankle problem, according to his club Bath – the tough-tackling flanker watched Sunday’s win over Racing 92 with another crocked back-rower, Ted Hill.
In that match Alfie Barbeary made big dents at No 8 but two of them attracted yellow cards, and with citings having followed, he faces a possible ban of at least two matches at a hearing on Wednesday evening. Exeter No 8 Greg Fisilau is also on a foul-play charge.
Scrum-halves
So who will get the nod? World Cup revelation Alex Mitchell should be England’s first-choice scrum-half backed up by Danny Care and the returning Ben Spencer, who has impressed this season at the Rec.
Fly-halves
Meanwhile, the fight for the No 10 jersey is likely to be shared between George Ford (who could return from an MCL injury to face La Rochelle this Sunday), Marcus Smith and newcomer Fin Smith.
Centres
A midfield three of Marcus Smith, Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade would be many pundits’ tip, but Borthwick can give himself the option of Northampton’s Fraser Dingwall, who has been knocking on the England door for a long time, or Leicester’s Dan Kelly, or the 6ft 4in tyro Olly Hartley, a Saracen with a step.
Tommy Freeman is a shoe-in with his ability at outside centre and wing, a role England gave to Elliot Daly and Joe Marchant at the World Cup, while Harlequins’ Will Joseph had been travelling well until a recent leg injury.
Back three
The debate of specialists versus versatility arises in the back three, too, but expect Freddie Steward to continue, with Anthony Watson and George Furbank stepping up again. Has Joe Cokanasiga pressed an irresistible case?
Other wing candidates include the uncapped Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (who, notably, was not claimed by Wales on Tuesday), Tom Roebuck, Will Muir, Gabriel Ibitoye and Ollie Sleightholme, while Max Malins and Ollie Hassell-Collins were the coming man this time last year, and Adam Radwan the year before.
Props
Up front, the question is how many dice Borthwick needs to roll to start building for the future.
A possible loosehead line-up of Genge, Marler and Beno Obano could be shaken up by Fin Baxter, Phil Brantingham, Ross Harrison or Tarek Haffar (the latter has made just one start for Northampton).
On the tighthead side, Joe Heyes, Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Ehren Painter are the young blood to vie with Dan Cole, Will Stuart and Kyle Sinckler.
Hookers
At hooker, has Luke Cowan-Dickie shown enough for a comeback to join Jamie George and Theo Dan? Curtis Langdon is pulling up trees for Northampton and may be more persuasive than Cowan-Dickie and the time already invested in Jack Walker.
Second row
At the heart of the scrum, Jonny Hill doesn’t seem to cut it with Borthwick, and is going to France next season (as might Sinckler and flanker Lewis Ludlam), so that leaves Maro Itoje, George Martin and Ollie Chessum – each of whom can slide into the No 6 jersey if necessary – while Alex Coles, Joe Batley, Charlie Ewels, Rusiate Tuima and Chunya Munga are others racking up the second-row minutes this season.
Back row
And in the back row, England’s winning World Cup bronze-medal match may have passed many punters by, but Underhill and Ben Earl were magnificent that night, so Borthwick could keep them in, with a big, lineout jumper No 6 for company.
Ludlam has been injured, but the breakdown prowess of Will Evans and carrying of Tom Pearson for Northampton, and Ethan Roots and Fisilau for Exeter, and Chandler Cunningham-South and Guy Pepper for Harlequins and Newcastle respectively, are easy on the eye.
Bear in mind, too, some of the 35 may end up directed into February’s A-team match with Portugal.
