England squad: Winners and losers as Steve Borthwick hands Fin Smith the ‘keys to the castle’ but fullback who ‘can’t catch a break’ misses out again
Freddie Steward (left) and Fin Smith (right) in England training
Following England’s match-day squad announcement for the Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland, here are our key winners and losers.
Winners
Fin Smith
The big winner this weekend is Fin Smith, who retains his starting jersey for the Scotland clash. This time last year, Smith – who was on the verge of a Scotland call-up before choosing England – was on the cusp of the squad, but now it seems he has been given the keys to the castle after his exceptional performance. The Northampton Saints man seems to have added a level of composure to the England attack, whilst still maintaining the intensity and flow that Borthwick wants, and it now seems like he has put himself in the picture to be the long-term starter at fly-half. Crucially, too, it seems he has been given a shot at a potential Lions jersey too…
Ollie Chessum
The returning Ollie Chessum is clearly a winner this weekend, as he returns to the England starting XV for the first time in nearly a year. Chessum’s injury issues have blighted his early Test career, but a string of good cameos on the bench coupled with George Martin’s own knock has seen him propelled back into the starting line-up. When fit is one of England’s best forwards, but his return this weekend is actually very timely as he will help sure up the lineout, which is an area Scotland are pretty solid in. He also just gets through so much work, and will almost act as a fourth back-rower.
Elliot Daly
He was a surprise inclusion last weekend, but this weekend around he’s certainly not raising eyebrows. He made such a positive impact upon his entry, notably scoring the crucial try in the 79th minute, but on top of that, his experience really came to the fore in those clutch minutes. It’s been a difficult year for the Saracens man, Test-wise, but it seems he’s establishing himself as a key man again.
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Unused substitutes
Chandler Cunningham-South and Harry Randall were left with splinters against France, but they too retain their place in the squad this weekend. The pair did struggle off the bench against Ireland, but there is no douting their quality and hopefully, they will get the chance to demonstrate that against Scotland.
Steve Borthwick
It seems Borthwick has cracked the code for what his best team looks like. During his tenure, the England boss has chopped and changed a few combinations around, be that in the starting XV or on the bench, but this particular group of 23 seem to be the ones that fit his mould. It’s also a huge plus to be able to call on them all and have them all fit and firing, even with Martin’s niggle, and that again makes him a winner in our books.
Losers
George Martin
His injury has cost him a spot in the starting XV, and that could actually give clubmate Chessum a chance to stake a proper claim for his shirt. Don’t get us wrong, Martin is a brilliant operator and will certainly be back in contention for a start sooner rather than later, but then again Chessum is also just as solid. With Itoje captain now, it leaves just one spot open in that engine room, and right now it seems Chessum is in pole position with Martin struggling with that knock.
Marcus Smith
Whilst he is still in the starting XV, he’s yet again pushed back to fullback to make way for namesake Fin Smith. The Quins ace is clearly such a talented player, and could very easily develop into a brilliant Test fullback too, but he has made his desire to play fly-half very public and now seems to be being pushed out of the way. He might have to get used to this new role for the time being.
Freddie Steward
Leicester fullback Freddie Steward used to be the first name on the teamsheet for England, but now he struggles to get into the match-day 23. Steward is very much your classic fullback, solid under the high ball and good on the counter-attack, but the way that Borthwick is getting his side to play now, his skillset just doesn’t suit the team or the system. Before the Six Nations, he was the nailed-on replacement for George Furbank, but it now seems even a fly-half is ahead of him in the pecking order. Just can’t catch a break at the minute, at Test level.
