England: One-cap ‘dark horse’ tipped to ‘bolt all the way to the World Cup’
Sale's Joe carpenter and, inset, England boss Steve Borthwick
Former England out-half Stuart Barnes believes that Joe Carpenter can become Steve Borthwick’s Rugby World Cup full-back.
The rookie has been capped just once at Test level, last year away to the USA, but it is now speculated that a series of error-free performances with Sale can quickly lift him up the pecking order and into the England squad for next month’s Nations Championship.
Carpenter is set to go head-to-head against George Furbank, a more established England contender, when Sale host Harlequins on Sunday in the Prem at CorpAcq Stadium, and Barnes reckoned it will be the ideal audition for Sharks’ England hopeful.
Writing in The Times ahead of the round three English league match, he said: “This is an opportunity for the 24-year-old to enter the equation for a position that is up for grabs.
“Paltry tally”
“Opposite him is the man most expect to wear the No. 15 shirt for Steve Borthwick’s hopefuls. George Furbank is a fine footballer, but for all his virtues he cannot be trusted to make the position his own.”
Why? Bad luck. Furbank has a “paltry tally” of just 14 caps since debuting in 2020, with injury an all too often impediment.
The 29-year-old’s most recent cap was in November 2024 versus Japan, and his selection to start against South Africa last July was wrecked by having to have his appendix removed and instead following the match from hospital.
Rather than continuing to build his club connection at Northampton with Fin Smith, England’s current first-choice No.10, Furbank has moved to Harlequins for the 2026/27 season and will hope to build an understanding with Marcus Smith.
“Furbank is a full-back with the mindset of a fly-half. He is a clever rugby player who has performed with a Saintly smile. Whether he can recapture his form at Harlequins is doubtful and – and if he can – whether an out-of-form full-back will be able to leave club concerns behind when England duty beckons is anything but guaranteed.”
Barnes went to reference other potential full-back candidates, including Saints pair Tommy Freeman and George Hendy.
Of Freeman, he said he is someone who “remains an outstanding finisher with a brilliant aerial game that Fin Smith can find with his eyes shut” and the uncapped Hendy “doesn’t have much time to fiddle between wing for club and full back for country”.
Switching to Leicester’s Freddie Steward and Saracens Elliot Daly, he added: “Unless England revert to a limited game of set piece/box-kick, Steward will struggle to force his way back into the elite squad.
“Elliot Daly, 34, is another talented but ageing utility player omitted from Borthwick’s initial enhanced elite squad.”
For these reasons, Barnes felt the time was ripe for Carpenter to strike a telling blow with Sale and get himself in the England squad for a campaign that begins next month versus Australia.
“He was steady in Sale’s 21-17 away win against Saracens last week, piecing together a typical Carpenter display of counterattack. He doesn’t rip defences to pieces, but he can beat defenders in tight spaces to create space for those around him.
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“He has fine footwork and plenty of pace, and the positional experience the Saints contenders lack. He is generally rock solid beneath the high ball.
“What he lacks is Test-match experience. If the dark horse can string together a series of error-free performances, mixed with the odd flash of magic on the counter from loose kicks, he could bolt all the way to the World Cup.
“An outstanding performance on Sunday, thriving outside a George Ford with plenty to prove, could take him nearer the squad for November’s Nations Championship and an opening fixture against England’s potential World Cup knock-out opponents, Australia.”
