England squad: Winners and losers as sheer number of unfortunate omissions shows the ‘quality and depth’ at Steve Borthwick’s disposal
England head coach Steve Borthwick and Northampton Saints full-back/wing George Hendy.
Following the announcement of Steve Borthwick’s wider 36-man squad for the Six Nations Championship, here is our take on the key winners and losers.
Winners
Uncapped trio
Particular congratulations must go to Manny Iyogun, Vilikesa Sela and Greg Fisilau who are the only uncapped players in the squad. All have been in fine form this season and, as a result, they have been rewarded with a place in the 36-man group for the Six Nations.
Iyogun and Sela have benefited from the injuries to Fin Baxter, Will Stuart and Asher Opoku-Fordjour, with England’s prop stocks being tested at the moment, but it says a lot that it doesn’t feel as though there is much, if any, drop-off in those two players. Sela, who was part of the U20 squad that won the World Rugby U20 Championship in 2024 alongside Opoku-Fordjour, is one to look out for if he manages to get any game time.
As for Fisilau, after a couple of years of fine displays for Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership, the back-rower has elevated his level this season. Still just 22, the back-rower is a huge talent and a genuine option at number eight as Borthwick looks to fill that Tom Willis-shaped hole.
George Furbank
Has endured his injury troubles and, like last season, has had limited time in the saddle, but the Northampton Saints full-back has credit in the bank and offers a playmaking option from that 15 shirt, which the head coach seems to like.
It will be interesting to see if Furbank is a genuine contender for the full-back slot given his injury-disrupted campaign but he has stepped up superbly in the past when handed an opportunity by Borthwick.
Arthur Clark
Another player to miss a fair portion of the season for his club side, Gloucester, but like Furbank, Borthwick is clearly a fan. As well as being a fine set-piece operator, Clark is also abrasive at close quarters and offers a hard-nosed approach.
He is perhaps fortunate to be in the squad given the Cherry and Whites’ dreadful season and his lack of game time, but the lock is another player that Borthwick sees plenty of potential in and it will be intriguing to see whether that translates to more Test caps.
Seb Atkinson
Akin to Clark, the centre could have fallen victim to Gloucester’s terrible few months. Equally, injury prevented him from appearing in the November Tests, which was unfortunate given that Atkinson was one of the finds of the Argentina series last July.
Fraser Dingwall and Max Ojomoh then went on to impress during the end-of-year international campaign, but Borthwick has ultimately decided to include all three of them in the squad, giving the Red Rose three excellent options at 12 – a position which has been a weakness in the past.
Cadan Murley
It has not been an easy season for Harlequins or the wing, but Murley has managed to find his form recently, making a try-scoring impact in the Investec Champions Cup victories over the Stormers and La Rochelle.
The 26-year-old rather infamously had a shocker in his Test debut against Ireland but he had a good tour to the Americas and it is to the head coach’s credit that he has backed him, despite the fierce competition out wide.
Steve Borthwick
It says a lot that the England boss has a few injuries to contend with, and that there are several individuals who can count themselves unfortunate to miss out, but he has still managed to put together a squad full of quality and depth. There is youth on its side, too, which suggests there is plenty of improvement to come from the Red Rose over the next 12 months.
There was a time when Borthwick was under pressure, with England stagnating and being on the end of several agonising losses, but those concerns seem to have faded and, as a result, they are one of the favourites for the title alongside France.
Losers
Injured stars
As previously mentioned, there are a few that find themselves on the sidelines. Among those rehabbing with the squad during their camp in Girona are Fin Baxter, Ben Curry, Ollie Lawrence, Tom Roebuck and Fin Smith, while Opoku-Fordjour and Stuart are longer-term absentees.
All seven of those players would be in contention for a regular place in the 23, but it shows how well stocked England are in most positions at the moment that they have more than able replacements. Lawrence’s absence, given his physicality in the midfield, is perhaps the biggest loss if he is not fit for the opener, but the Red Rose do have a variety of options at centre now.
Noah Caluori
After his breakthrough performance last year, where he scored five tries against Sale Sharks, he was brought into the squad for the November Tests. He didn’t play but it showed that the teenager was very much on Borthwick’s radar.
Since then, Caluori has certainly found it tougher with teams already making plans to counteract his brilliance, especially in the air, but it will prove to be a valuable learning curve for him. His time will come but it is just not right now.
Ben Bamber
We mentioned Clark’s physicality and size, and Bamber is another that offers those traits. In fact, his performances have been such that the Sale Sharks lock can count himself very unfortunate not to be included in the 36.
After making the switch from rugby league, it has taken Bamber a few years to learn the nuances of being a union lock, but he has nailed those down this season. His display against Clermont Auvergne, where he was named player of the match by the French broadcasters, felt like a real statement showing, but it was not enough to earn him a place in the training squad.
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George Hendy and Joe Carpenter
With Furbank receiving a call-up and England stacked on the wing, it meant that these were the unlucky two to miss out. Hendy is adept in all back three positions but it is at full-back where he has really shone for Northampton in the absence of Furbank. Of all those to miss out, the 23-year-old speedster was probably the most unfortunate.
Equally, Carpenter continues to impress for Sale, even if an injury in October saw him miss two months of the campaign. He probably needed more game time for the Sharks to be considered but, if you want someone who is solid under the high ball and offers pace, strength, balance and good hands in possession, he is your man.
Miles Reid and Alfie Barbeary
You have to feel for these two, who couldn’t have done much more, particularly recently, to put themselves in the frame for a call-up. Reid is unfortunate that England simply have a plethora of openside flankers at the moment, who also happen to be younger. At 27, he is hardly old, but it is such a competitive position.
As for Barbeary, he arguably had a better chance of making the 36, especially given the lack of out-and-out physicality at number eight. Barbeary is more in the Willis mould and, after a slow start to the season, was beginning to perform exceptionally well, but he has once again been overlooked by Borthwick.
Beno Obano and Afolabi Fasogbon
Following the injuries to Baxter, Stuart and Opoku-Fordjour, these two would have been hopeful of getting a call-up, but Iyogun and Sela have managed to get their noses in front. Obano has enjoyed another good season for Bath but the Saints man has very much stepped up recently and shored up their scrum when defending Investec Champions Cup champions Bordeaux-Begles put them under the pump.
Meanwhile, Fasogbon is part of a trio of exceptional young tightheads alongside Opoku-Fordjour and Sela, so his time will come soon enough, even if he has slipped behind those other former age-grade stars. Gloucester’s poor season hasn’t helped, but he will now target a big end to the PREM season.
Everyone else
Quite frankly, there could have been 20 players on the list. When you look at what Fitz Harding and Tom Pearson have once again produced this season, there was a case to put them in the back-row mix, while Emeka Ilione, who was in contention in November, wouldn’t have been far away, having just returned from injury.
Elsewhere in the pack, Gabriel Oghre quite rightly has his supporters and is among several hookers putting pressure on the trio of Jamie George, Luke Cowan-Dickie and particularly Theo Dan. Oghre’s Bristol team-mate, Joe Batley, is consistently outstanding for the Bears, while there are probably plenty of others who we haven’t named that could have been in Borthwick’s mind.
