England latest: Winners and losers as centre trio send ‘necessary signals’ to Steve Borthwick but injuries dent Nations Championship ‘stock’
Joe Marchant (centre) and Benhard Janse van Rensburg (right) feature in England winners and losers after this weekend's PREM action.
Following the conclusion of round two of the PREM Rugby season, here is our take on the key winners and losers from an England perspective.
Winners
Centres of attention
It was certainly a good weekend for English midfielders in round two, with Max Ojomoh, Joe Marchant and Will Joseph going well for Bath, Sale and Gloucester, respectively. Starting with Ojomoh, you felt he came into Friday night’s meeting with Exeter with a bit of a point to prove after being demoted to the bench in favour of Cam Redpath, but he certainly left his mark on proceedings.
It just felt like his introduction lit the touchpaper for Bath’s resurgence back into the game, at a time when Exeter were starting to pull away. His first involvement was a lovely little half-break close to the Chiefs line and should have resulted in a try-assist had Redpath held onto the ball too, and made himself very busy for the rest of his shift thereafter. It was also pleasing to see him float between different spots once again, something which had worked wonders for Bath in their run to the treble in 2024/25.
Gloucester counterpart Joseph also dropped a real marker down of his own Test credentials as a midfielder. The one-cap man just put in a really complete performance on both sides of the ball, getting stuck into the defensive work as well as having some delicious attacking moments, and that is exactly the sort of thing Steve Borthwick would have liked. The fact it also came with 13 on his back, a week on from a strong display out on the wing, is also a huge tick in his box, too, with the England boss liking that sort of versatility within his outside backs unit.
Marchant usually gets the plaudits for his attacking work, in a similar ilk to Joseph given his ability to play both centre and wing, but it was his defensive work that really caught the eye this weekend. He had the midfield channel on lockdown across the 80 minutes, limiting Saracens’ attack to play inwards and back towards Sale’s breakdown beavers, and it worked a charm. Marchant’s personal desire to get into Saracens’ faces was also especially pleasing to see, and it saw him come out with 20 tackles for his efforts. A gritty display, and one that shows another edge to his game.
They’ve all sent the necessary signals to Borthwick this weekend.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
We’re starting to run out of superlatives for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso now, with the Exeter winger yet again impressing this weekend. After a mixed bag against Gloucester, you felt a statement display was coming against Bath, and we certainly got that.
He just seemed to have the defence on strings across the 80 minutes, in pretty much every way possible. His kick-chasing and work in the air played a crucial role in Exeter’s fightback into the game, but he backed that up with some superb running ball-in-hand, beating nine defenders and making three linebreaks and 133 metres from his 13 carries, and he got himself a well-deserved brace.
We all know the talent Feyi-Waboso has, and this was just another reminder of that.
Atkinson squared
Joseph wasn’t the only Gloucester back to impress this weekend, either, with the combination of Charlie and Seb Atkinson both going well too.
The way that this axis has quickly become the beating heart of the Cherry and Whites’ new-look attack is really pleasing to see, for George Skivington and Borthwick at that. Seb’s ability to play first-receiver just takes a lot of the load off Charlie, while also allowing him to play slightly deeper and work the ball out into space. That worked a charm against Harlequins, as it did against Exeter a week previous. But then, they also combine nicely in the traditional fly-half and crash-ball option, too, with Seb’s running lines off Charlie giving Gloucester genuine go-forward ball, which then generates speed into their attack and creates broken field. It’s like a loop, and it’s working wonders.
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This pairing are going really well at the moment, and that will please the England boss no end after their respective involvements in the senior squad.
Bath props
England’s front-row has quickly become an area of strength in the past year, but the way that Beno Obano and Will Stuart went about their business on Friday night should have Borthwick licking his lips.
They were just simply exceptional, right across the park. They were excellent in the scrum, namely with a first-half shunt that should only be available on an 18+ website, and backed that up with some huge efforts around the loose as well. It tells a lot about their impact on the game that they finished second and third (Stuart 19, Obano 16) in the tackle stats across the 80 minutes, despite coming off after just an hour, and they both contributed in attack too.
Just superb showings from both props, and that is exactly the sort of thing Borthwick would have wanted from them heading into November.
Sale’s experienced heads
There was a lot to like about Sale’s win against Saracens on Sunday, but the displays of experienced heads George Ford and Courtney Lawes will have certainly caught the eye of Borthwick.
It’s been hard going for Ford with England recently, after being usurped by Fin Smith despite starring in that 12-Test run last year, but this was exactly the sort of display that could get him back in the running come November. He just seemed to have the game in the palm of his hand, effortlessly getting Sale into the right spaces with either his boot or passing as well as providing that customary flick of class too. When Ford plays like that, there’s no better fly-half in the English game; and that’s what Borthwick would have wanted from him.
Before he’d even played a minute for his new employers, Borthwick said he wanted to have a look at Lawes settled into life at Sale. On this showing, it seems he’s taken to his new club like a duck to water. Lawes was just massive across his stint at the StoneX, making himself a real nuisance at the breakdown and getting stuck into the battle up front with some huge tackles too. His experience also came in very handy, particularly when they were reduced to 13 men early on, and that’s again something that he could bring to the England squad.
England could do with their experience in November as they look to build on their victories from the summer.
Bolters
This was also a fine weekend for some of the possible bolters heading into November, with Caolan Englefield, Ewan Richards and Nathan Jibulu all impressing. While they face strong competition from other players in their respective positions, but it could also present Borthwick a chance to extend his depth chart too. Englefield’s control of the game and desire to play at tempo is exactly the sort of thing he wants from his scrum-halves, while Richards gave Bath’s pack some serious bite and ticks that box of lock-flanker hybrid as well. Jibulu also won Player of the Match on a day of big performances across the park, which shows just how well he played; and he also fits a gap as England start to look for their next long-term hooker.
This weekend showed all three in the best light possible heading towards the upcoming Test campaign and could have left a good impression on the head coach.
Losers
Benhard Janse van Rensburg
His shift against Northampton Saints came to a premature end following a nasty head injury which led to a lengthy stoppage on Saturday. It was later confirmed he was awake and talking, which is good news, but he will now spend a chunk of time on the sidelines as he goes through the return-to-play protocols. This is also his second head injury in a short space of time, after suffering a similarly nasty knock on England duty back in July.
Theo Dan
Another new injury concern emerging from this weekend was Theo Dan, with the hooker limping off in his side’s defeat to Sale Sharks. Not only is this a blow for him, with him now set for a spell on the sidelines, but it also dents Borthwick’s hooker stock, and Saracens’ at that too, with Jamie George also out of action right now.