England team: Five takeaways as Steve Borthwick ‘believes in youth’ but with a George Ford ‘safety blanket’ against USA
England fly-half George Ford and an inset of Steve Borthwick.
Following England’s selection for the one-off Test against the United States, to be played on Saturday in Washington DC, here are Alex Spink’s five takeaways.
Borthwick believes in youth
Four new caps in the two Tests against Argentina and now three, potentially, six more lined up for Saturday’s clash at Audi Field.
Steve Borthwick, England’s head coach, came on tour talking up the “incredible talent” he believes exists in English rugby and he has stayed true to his word in selection.
In La Plata he saw Seb Atkinson, Will Muir and Guy Pepper contribute fully to England’s 35-12 victory. A week later, it was the turn of Luke Northmore to come up with the goods as the Pumas were again beaten, this time 22-17.
This weekend Max Ojomoh, Joe Carpenter and Arthur Clark get their shots, with Gabriel Oghre, Charlie Atkinson and Oscar Beard set to feature, for the first time, off the bench.
Borthwick said: “The Argentina leg of this tour was fantastic for this squad and this is the next step in the development of this young team.”
Ford is England’s safety blanket
England feel able to go with so much new blood largely because they have the vast experience and calming influence of George Ford at fly-half.
The team captain now has 101 caps and is respected the world over. In the two Tests against Argentina, he was totally in command, continuing his fine end-of-season form at Sale.
England’s other fly-half option is Atkinson, a huge talent but one yet to be tested at this level. It would be unwise to overload the team with inexperience, particularly in the playmaking positions.
He will get his chance off the bench, by which time Ford will have settled down the other newbies and ironed out any kinks in a new-look line-up.
England really like Guy Pepper
It is amazing to think Pepper came on tour uncapped so outstanding was he for Bath at the tail end of the season and so to the manner born in each of his first two England appearances off the bench against the Pumas.
“He’s been a standout, his attitude is fantastic,” said skills coach Kevin Sinfield. “He’s a big powerful young man and we think he’s only going to get better.
“Guy has carried on his excellent form at Bath and brought it here. That’s what we want players to do. We want to see their skills.
“The challenge for these young guys is can they produce the form they have at club level in the Test arena. Guy certainly has done that.”
England name their team to face the USA this weekend!
Here’s the rundown from @alexspinksport 👇 pic.twitter.com/SMedom4ZTY
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) July 16, 2025
Selection is an endorsement of the job Alex Sanderson is doing at Sale
There was a time when Sale Sharks were an unfashionable team in English rugby, the boys from up north who too often were overlooked in selection.
That is no longer the case. Tom Curry is in line for a Lions Test start on Saturday, while Luke Cowan-Dickie also caught the eye in Australia before injury ended his tour.
Now look at Saturday’s selection here. No fewer than five Sharks in England’s 23 – and that does not include Tom Roebuck, man of the match in San Juan last week.
Joe Carpenter gets his first cap at full-back, while Ford captains the side on his 102nd. Up front, Bevan Rodd and Asher Opoku-Fordjour are at the coal face, whilst on the bench Ben Curry awaits his moment.
In Premiership terms, semi-finalists Sale are very much the coming team. In international terms too, we can now say with some certainty.
What a shame England no longer play three-match series on tour
It is three years since England last played a three-Test series, when they came from behind to take the spoils in Australia under the captaincy of Courtney Lawes.
The third Test makes a series. England winning 2-0 in Argentina was okay but having three Tests totally changes the feel of the whole thing. It plays with your mind going into the second Test, knowing momentum is forfeited if you fail to close the series out in two.
It is one reason three-match series so often go to a decider. Look at the Lions. Not since 2005 has there been a blowout. Before that you had to go all the way back to 1983 for a team to be nilled.
On Saturday the match between England and USA will doubtless shine a light on the 2031 World Cup being staged over here, and it will help develop US rugby, which is part of the game’s wider responsibility.
But a big part of me wishes we were still in Argentina. And if we had been, what is the betting the series would still be alive? It can be a funny old game, rugby.
