England predicted team: Steve Borthwick to ‘double down’ on Bomb Squad tactic amid backline ‘stability’
Ahead of England’s upcoming Autumn Nations Series Test against Fiji, we look at how Steve Borthwick’s side could lineup.
England come into this Test against Fiji in a pretty strong position, following a comfortable win over Australia, and Borthwick has already hinted at his squad for next weekend, suggesting the aim in training this weekend will just be about building that cohesion.
“This is an important week for training for us, so that we develop that cohesion amongst the players, develop that understanding amongst the players,” he said.
“Hopefully, we step forward.”
The head coach has made just two changes to his wider 36-man squad for the clash against the Pacific Islanders, with Beno Obano and Tom Lockett coming in and Max Ojomoh and Noah Caluori dropping out.
Limited backline changes
The decision to bring in two forwards for two backs suggests Borthwick will likely keep his backline together this weekend.
Within that, the midfield combination will be the headline selection call, but keeping Tommy Freeman and Fraser Dingwall together again will ensure some stability on both sides of the ball.
Neither man was perfect at the weekend, with Dingwall throwing an interception for Australia’s only try of the game and Freeman unable to find that killer pass to make the most of his breaks, but there were real shoots of positivity to build on.
Freeman’s strike running was incredibly effective, especially in the first half when England couldn’t really get much go-forward elsewhere. The Saints man was a bright spark ball-in-hand, notching a team-high 12 carries for 80 metres while also beating two defenders, and that sort of attacking output will please Borthwick ahead of this Fiji clash.
“It’s one of the options that we have,” the head coach said when asked if Freeman could play at 13 more often moving forward.
“Tommy Freeman’s a world-class player, and he gives that versatility. In attack today, we were probably a little overeager and the combinations just not quite trained together enough or played to get enough, which is why some of those line breaks didn’t quite finish the way we wanted them to.”
Dingwall, too, should come into his own in attack this weekend, with England potentially set to dabble more with their running game.
Around that, their defensive output will be tested too, particularly with Fiji’s desire to play unstructured, off-the-cuff rugby.
Elsewhere in the backline, you would imagine the rest will stay the same, with Alex Mitchell, George Ford, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Tom Roebuck and Freddie Steward keeping their places.
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Bomb Squad intact
England are blessed with options in the pack right now, so it’s just a case of who do you play where?
Looking into the starting pack, you would think Ben Earl has nailed down his spot at number eight, which some might not have called ahead of last week’s Test against the Wallabies. He was again a real focal point in attack during his shift, leading the way for both carries (12) and metres (77) before his departure. He also showed his quality in the tight too, which will certainly have got Borthwick going.
Seven is an interesting call. Tom Curry is now fully operational after a runout last weekend, Sam Underhill also didn’t do much wrong during his stint, and Henry Pollock again looked the part with an explosive cameo.
Borthwick could be tempted to deploy Curry from the start this weekend, just to give him some more minutes ahead of next weekend’s clash against the All Blacks, with Underhill and Pollock on the bench (which we’ll come onto).
Guy Pepper also looks set to continue at six, given he was handed a full 80 by the England boss against Australia. Ollie Chessum and Maro Itoje should again start at lock and Joe Heyes, Jamie George and Fin Baxter could also be set to feature in the starting front-row.
That then leads us onto the bench, with Borthwick likely to double down on the Bomb Squad tactic.
It might seem a bold call to deploy the Bomb Squad against Fiji, with the more traditional 5:3 giving them an extra back to play with, but Borthwick seemed happy with his bench last weekend and could again look to keep that intact.
“I think the bench certainly had a positive impact,” Borthwick said. “It’s a sign that you can see the squad is building in depth.”
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The combination of Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, Curry and Pollock worked an absolute treat against Australia last weekend, with England blowing the visitors away in the final quarter, and that could suggest Borthwick will deploy it once again.
As we’ve already said above, with Curry slotting in at seven, Underhill and Pollock could be primed for a spot in the Bomb Squad this weekend.
The Bath man has some good experience in this role, shining for his club’s equivalent, and while it also seems to bring the best out of Pollock too, as he can use his pace and power in broken field.
Around that, the front row will also look to blow the game wide open, both in the scrum and around the park.
Another interesting call is who Borthwick picks at number 19. Alex Coles held that shirt for the Australia Test, but could be tempted to bring Chandler Cunningham-South into the mix this weekend. The Quins forward just adds another serious ball-carrier to the squad, and can also cover lock, six and eight if needed.
Ben Spencer and Fin Smith seem set to round off the bench, but Marcus Smith is also an option to wear 23.
Predicted England team
England potential XV: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Tommy Freeman, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Guy Pepper, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Joe Heyes, 2 Jamie George, 1 Fin Baxter
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Chandler Cunningham-South, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Ben Spencer, 23 Fin Smith
