England squad: Five takeaways as Steve Borthwick’s selection ‘backs up’ new attacking intent
Steve Borthwick (right) has named his extended 36-man squad for the Nations Championship
Following confirmation of England’s 36-man squad for the Nations Championship Tests next month, here are our five key takeaways from Steve Borthwick’s selection.
Able deputy
The ‘will-he-won’t-he’ saga around Maro Itoje’s inclusion this summer has finally come to an end, and it’s the one we all pretty much expected with him being rested. Itoje has probably not had a break like the one he will have since before he made his Test debut 10 years ago, and even then, he was involved in some England stuff before he was capped, so this will do probably do him the world of good.
But it did lead to the question of who would replace him as captain, and again, the answer was one we expected, with Jamie George taking over the duties.
There were certainly other options Borthwick could have chosen. George Ford has captained on occasion and led the England XV side out last weekend in Vannes, while Ollie Chessum had also been bandied about as a possible captain and is seen as the next man up. Ellis Genge has also served as captain and remains one of Borthwick’s key leaders.
But, 110-Test-capper George is more than an able deputy for the rested Itoje, with him serving as captain in 2024 and co-captain on last year’s summer tour as well, and brings heaps of experience, quality and overall stability to the England side whenever he plays. Crucially, he also likely sits as one of the first names on the team sheet, and that is a big factor when deciding who will lead the team out.
Overall, it feels the right decision to rest Itoje, and also the right decision to make George captain once more.
Fresh-faced front-row
England’s injury concerns at prop have forced Borthwick to deploy one of the most inexperienced units in his tenure. Of the six props he’s taking on tour, only Genge has over 50 Test caps, with Joe Heyes the second-most experienced with 22 to his name. Beno Obano and Asher Opoku-Fordjour, while at different stages of their careers, have a combined tally of 10 between them, while George Kloska and Vilikesa Sela are both uncapped.
The unit of Genge and Heyes was mightily impressive at scrum time during the Six Nations, with it arguably England’s main positive to come from the campaign, but the Test inexperience underneath that is where it gets a little bit more interesting. Borthwick wouldn’t bring them if he didn’t think they would do a job, given the form of Afo Fasogbon and Emmanuel Iyogun and the availability of players like Josh Iosefa-Scott, Jimmy Roots and Archie van der Flier, and there is a lot to like about them as a collective.
Kloska is really coming into his own both in the scrum and around the park, a common trend for props of his age, while Opoku-Fordjour and Sela both scrummage with an attacking mindset to match Tom Harrison’s plans. Obano is also among the top scrummagers in the league as well, and should probably have more caps to his name given his impressive performances for Bath over the years.
To go from club rugby to facing the powerhouse unit that the Springboks have, with the amount of experience they have as well, is the ultimate baptism of fire. World Rugby Dream Team inclusions Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Thomas du Toit all lie in wait for July 4, and that’s even before you factor in Wilco Louw or Gerhard Steenekamp. Underneath them is a touch more inexperience, similar to England’s level when you think about it, in the form of Ntuthuko Mchunu, Boan Venter, Zachary Porthen and uncapped Carlu Sadie, but that’s deep into their depth chart.
But, Test players are built from experiences like this. This is a really exciting opportunity for his fresh-faced props.
Back-row balance
In campaigns past, England’s back-row all had a similar style to it, but now, the days of deploying three ‘number sevens’ seem to be over.
It’s not entirely evident on first look, but the fact that Borthwick has picked six men who can play lock suggests that, at some point, one of them could shift over to the blindside flank. Right here and now, the clear favourite to start their is Chessum, especially after his performance against France at the end of the Six Nations, but Ted Hill is also an out-and-out number six and did start there against France XV last week. Alex Coles has played in the back-row at times and could also be an option here.
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Deploying a lock-flanker hybrid on the flank just gives England that little bit more balance in the back-row. As we saw against France, they can be just as effective in the breakdown with two men bombarding it for turnover chances, be it your number seven and eight, but keeping the six free to roam around just adds a layer of security and bulk to the defensive line, while also giving them an extra carrier in the tight and, crucially, a lineout operator should George Martin start at lock.
The back-row is always going to be an interesting selection with England, considering the depth they have here, but this feels particularly intriguing.
Built different
When you look at the backline options, and especially the outside backs, it seems to be built around one thing. Pace.
Yes, there is still the aerial threat in there, but it’s all about pace in the wide channels. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is a real game-breaking option to have anywhere within your squad, while Noah Caluori and Cadan Murley possess genuine pace that England will be looking to exploit. Tommy Freeman also fits into that frame, be it at centre or wing.
As we saw in the England XV game, or even that Six Nations Test against France, England are starting to play in a way that prioritises this over the kicking tactics that worked so well in 2025. A lot of England’s play in Vannes and Paris was designed to go wide early, with the 12 stepping in at first receiver to then connect with the slightly deeper fly-half to then expose the wide channel. From there, the ball would then go out to the wingers, where their pace can be used in space to create linebreaks or even try-scoring chances.
Of course, there were issues during that encounter last Friday, which saw England slip to defeat, but the intent is there for everyone to see. The squad selection backs that up, and shows how England will look to play a different way ball-in-hand.
Midfield changes
Centre has been a major issue for England for some time now, and it seems it is set for yet more change this summer. The omissions of Fraser Dingwall and Ollie Lawrence for Max Ojomoh and Benhard Janse van Rensburg, all while including Henry Slade and Seb Atkinson too, suggest that Borthwick is looking for a dual-threat from his centres this summer.
As above, the attack is going to look somewhat different to the start of the Six Nations, and that is again proved by these calls. Ojomoh, Janse van Rensburg, Atkinson and even Slade all have the ability to both be a threat ball-in-hand and also act as an extra distributor in the backline, and can chop-and-change style depending on the shape that is being run. Freeman is also very likely to come into the fold at 13, but that only then heightens the need for one of these options to play at 12 to give that little bit more balance.
Even with these being thought-out changes, you cannot ignore the ongoing narrative surrounding the midfield. Since November, six different men played at either 12 or 13 and four different combinations have been used, and that is only going to grow this summer. That can be down to a number of things, but it just doesn’t feel like anyone has really grabbed the shirts and made them their own. This summer, that needs to change.
