England team: Five takeaways as Steve Borthwick ‘brings out his big guns’ amid Pom Squad ‘flex’
England have made seven changes to their starting XV to face the All Blacks this weekend
Following England’s announcement of their 23-man squad to face the All Blacks this weekend, here are our five key takeaways from Steve Borthwick’s selection.
‘Pom Squad’ here to stay
The deployment of a 6/2 split has had many names in recent years. If you’re South African, it’s called the Bomb Squad. If you’re French, it’s called Le Bombe Squad. If you’re English, it’s now called the Pom Squad. You may sigh at naming a ratio of forwards to backs. You might say it’s discriminating against backs. You might say it helps blow games open. Whatever your thoughts are on it, whatever your name for it is, that doesn’t matter to Borthwick.
This selection, in their biggest Test of the Autumn Nations Series, shows it’s very much here to stay
Borthwick has shown his hand early, not just for this Test in isolation, but also for the upcoming Argentina rematch next weekend, the 2026 Six Nations and, looking even further ahead, potentially the 2027 World Cup too.
Selecting five British and Irish Lions, four of them Test Lions at that, among your replacement forwards is a massive flex from the England boss, but it’s also incredibly clever. England’s big issue last year was closing out Tests. Too often they let a lead slip, eventually falling to defeat in the process, but the Pom Squad is designed to flip that on its head and blow teams away.
We’ve already seen that this November, too. It proved the difference against the Wallabies in their opener, taking England from a slender 10-7 lead to eventually running away 25-7 victors at the final whistle. It did the business again against Fiji last weekend, again helping England turn a small lead into a big one, going from 14-13 up at half-time to winning 38-18.
Its effectiveness will be tested to the absolute fullest this time around, with New Zealand themselves also able to run away with games in the final exchanges – just look at their victory over Ireland for example – but it has proved the All Blacks’ downfall too.
Razor’s side were blown away by the Springboks’ Bomb Squad back in October, with the relentless power taking Rassie Erasmus’ men from a 10-7 deficit at half-time to eventual 43-10 victors come the full-time whistle. If England can replicate that, they could be onto a real winner.
The men in that group certainly have the minerals to do that. Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Chandler Cunningham-South and Henry Pollock have already proven their desire to charge around ball-in-hand, while Will Stuart is among the most improved scrummagers in the Test game too. Tom Curry is also a Test match animal and will throw himself into everything.
It’s a bold call, but it shows Borthwick is thinking long-term with his bench selection.
Strongest squad
Borthwick has brought out his big guns.
England’s campaign was always about this Test, so it should come as no surprise that Borthwick has named his strongest available side on paper.
The head coach might have gone a touch bold in the Fiji selection, giving players crucial time to impress, but those two Tests did feel like an audition to make this 23.
That is very clear in this selection too, with those who impressed against Fiji keeping their spot around the changes made from the Australia victory too. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Fraser Dingwall, Alex Mitchell, Guy Pepper and Joe Heyes are also the only players to start all three Tests in the same positions, while Ben Spencer has also worn the 22 shirt against Australia and Fiji, too, which shows again how they fulfilled their role in Borthwick’s eyes.
Would having Tommy Freeman and Ollie Chessum fully fit have changed selection? For sure, but still, this is without a doubt the strongest possible selection with the currently available players.
Shifting focus
A lot of the talk last weekend was about getting England to click ball-in-hand. The selections backed that up, with both Fin and Marcus Smith selected in the run-on group and Freeman returned to the wing.
This weekend, it seems the focus will again be on the kicking game.
The selection of Freddie Steward, Tom Roebuck and George Ford points to this, with that pairing the key behind England’s deployment of that system against Australia. Ford and Roebuck have developed a lovely connection in that respect, for both England and Sale. Their ability to read each other is such a key asset in its success, with Roebuck then using his aerial ability to good use as well. Steward’s own work under the high ball makes him a good option to fit into this kicking game.
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Crucially, too, this could unpick the All Blacks. The All Blacks are by no means going to be easy pickings in the air, but England’s system will likely force the likes of Will Jordan and Leroy Carter into different positions across the backfield, then limit their counter-attacking ability while creating more space in the backline too.
England will certainly not give up on their ball-in-hand attack, especially with glue player Dingwall in the mix, but it will likely be a more kick-focused attack this weekend.
Shot at redemption
When England last played the All Blacks, Ford quickly found himself under a harsh spotlight. The Sale man, only just making a return from injury, was deployed off the bench in place of M. Smith, to the surprise of the Twickenham faithful.
Things didn’t go as planned. The fly-half missed crucial kicks at goal in the waning moments of the match, misses which eventually saw the All Blacks clinch a famous comeback win.
This weekend, though, he has the chance to be the hero of the piece.
Ford is bang in form coming into this Test, even with him missing out on selection for Fiji. He oozes confidence right now, confidence which is seeping into all aspects of his game. His kicking, both in the loose and for goal, is back to its dazzling best, while also finding himself back in those pockets of space where he can control the game and get his side’s attack firing. That extra time on the ball then lets him play much flatter, causing holes to open up around him too.
It’s the perfect time to get some redemption.
Trusting combinations
Within this selection, there seem to be some serious combinations forming. Steward, Roebuck and Feyi-Waboso have started two of the last three Tests together in the back-three, as are half-backs Ford and Mitchell and back-row contingent Ben Earl, Sam Underhill and Pepper and front-row unit Heyes, Jamie George and Fin Baxter.
Around that, Ollie Lawrence and Dingwall are starting their second successive Test together too.
Getting combinations going and consistently playing the same players together is something England have lacked over the past few seasons. The midfield has always been chopped and changed, while the back-row has also seen fresh faces used on a Test-by-Test basis in the past.
Deploying combinations together is the next stage in England’s evolution. Borthwick seems to have found his squad, similar to that of Eddie Jones in the first part of his reign, but getting the right pieces of the puzzle next to one another was the jump they needed to make. It seems they are starting to make it, and if it gets them to victory over the All Blacks it will show they have made it.
Combinations bring about success, too. It’s something that became a cornerstone of Ireland’s success in recent years, it’s something the Springboks have in abundance, and now England are piecing it together too.
Could it power England to the top?
READ MORE: England team: George Ford among SEVEN changes for All Blacks as Steve Borthwick deploys Pom Squad
