England team: Five takeaways as Steve Borthwick decides ‘very positive thing’ and issues ‘watch out, Wales’ warning with ‘electrifying’ pick
Steve Borthwick has opted to leave skipper Maro Itoje on the England bench against Wales with Henry Arundell, inset, among the players called up
Following England’s announcement of their 23-man squad to face Wales on Saturday in the Six Nations, here are our five key takeaways from Steve Borthwick’s selection.
The top line
England have named a starting XV containing seven changes from their Autumn Nations Series win just over nine weeks ago versus Argentina. There are four alterations in the backs, including a return to the midfield pairing of Tommy Freeman and Fraser Dingwall.
The Northampton duo were the starting centre partnership for the November opener against Australia, but Freeman then moved back to the wing for the win over Fiji and a hamstring problem subsequently ruled him out of the other two matches versus New Zealand and Argentina. However, he has now been reunited with Dingwall in the centres after Borthwick went with Henry Slade and Max Ojomoh the last outing.
Back in the PREM following his two-year stint at Racing 92, Henry Arundell, who enjoyed a try-scoring November cameo off the bench versus the Fijians, has been handed his first Test start since Rugby World Cup 2023, taking the left wing spot filled by Elliot Daly.
The fourth and final backline alteration sees Alex Mitchell, as expected, taking over at scrum-half from Ben Spencer, who was picked to start against the Pumas. England’s three retained backs are Freddie Steward at full-back, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso at right wing and George Ford at fly-half.
In the forwards, Joe Heyes returns at tighthead after Borthwick used the Argentina match to give the now unavailable Asher Opoku-Fordjour a start, but the other two changes will have tongues wagging the most. We all know it has been a difficult time recently for skipper Maro Itoje following the sad passing of his mother, but no-one predicted he wouldn’t be a starter against Wales.
However, he has surprisingly been given a ‘Pom Squad’ role with Ollie Chessum stepping up, a decision that more than likely aided the selection of Jamie George to start at hooker and to captain the team until Itoje is introduced against the Welsh as a replacement. George started in November against Australia and New Zealand, and he now retakes the No.2 shirt from Luke Cowan-Dickie, who wore it 71 days ago versus Argentina.
England’s five retained forwards from that last outing are loosehead Ellis Genge, lock Alex Coles and the back-row consisting of Guy Pepper, Sam Underhill and Ben Earl. Cowan-Dickie and Itoje are two of England’s six replacement forwards. Bevan Rodd and Trevor Davison are named as sub props, with Tom Curry and Henry Pollock the back-row options. England’s two backline subs are Spencer and Marcus Smith.
Itoje the sub
Being a sub isn’t something completely new to the benched Itoje. He rode the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham pine as recently as England’s Fijian match 11 weeks ago, enjoying a late-game 10-minute cameo that included him scoring a try.
However, subbing for an Autumn Nations Series match is completely different from doing it in the Six Nations, so not seeing Itoje’s name in the England starting XV was a shock.
However, this surprise was quickly diluted when you took a step back from the circumstances leading into the Six Nations. Itoje was absent from last week’s Six Nations media launch in Edinburgh, and he also missed the start of England’s warm-weather camp in Girona, so it makes every sense for Borthwick to only include Itoje in Saturday’s match as a sub.
Given his family bereavement, the upside to Itoje’s sub selection is that it affords him extra space mentally to prepare for the tournament opener rather than get ready as the starting captain and have all the added responsibilities that go with it.
Another observation is that with England set to play on three successive weekends because the tournament has binned one of its traditional two fallow weeks, Itoje, a regular 80-minute player, should have more in the tank going into Rounds Two and Three away to Scotland and at home to Ireland on the following two Saturdays.
Holding Itoje in reserve is also a reflection of the growing maturity and reliability of Borthwick’s England. There was a time not having the lock in the starting line-up would ignite deep concern, but an 11-match winning streak has steeled this squad to handle unexpected situations.
It was just last week when 2003 Rugby World Cup winner Mike Tindall didn’t include Itoje in his top 10 list of most valuable England players for the 2026 Six Nations. He insisted this was a positive, explaining: “It’s a positive because I would have put him way further up there (in the past).
“People have always talked that they need Maro on form for England to play, and I don’t see that as the case now. I don’t think we rely on him as much as we used to, and that is a very positive thing.”
This Saturday versus Wales will be evidence of this.
Watch out, Wales
Midfield is one area of Borthwick’s team that he continues to tinker with, but now with a much better focus as Lee Blackett is now permanently installed as his eyes and ears.
England’s limited attack has always been a stick to whip Borthwick with. But Blackett, who toured the Americas last July with England while still on the Bath books, so impressed the head coach that one of the immediate things done in the off-season was prising the assistant from his extended deal at The Rec under Johann van Graan and getting him on the RFU payroll.
It was a canny bit of business. Borthwick’s striking public demeanour is that of a stubborn old mule, but behind the scenes he has shown an encouraging interest in evolving his staff to increase the level and consistency of England’s performance across the board. Hence, Richard Wigglesworth returned from working with the British and Irish Lions and learned he now had a different England role.
Over the course of 12 Test matches last year, Borthwick rolled out seven different midfield combinations. We had Slade-Ollie Lawrence for the opening three matches of the 2025 Six Nations, then Dingwall-Lawrence and Dingwall-Freeman to close out the tournament.
On tour, Seb Atkinson-Slade, Atkinson-Luke Northmore and Ojomoh-Northmore were the selections. Then, for November, it was Dingwall-Freeman, Dingwall-Lawrence and Ojomoh-Slade. The Dingwall-Freeman combo was utilised just twice in a calendar year at Test level, but the Saints pair will now combine again for this Six Nations opener and the message is, ‘Watch out, Wales’.
It was in Cardiff 11 months ago that the handbrake came off Borthwick’s midfield. England were five tries to the good by the time of Freeman’s 50th-minute injury exit. The attack foundation that had been laid ultimately resulted in a record 10-try win.
This ruthlessness wasn’t generated by the Dingwall-Freeman axis in the opening November win over Australia; that was instead an afternoon when a Pollock-inspired Pom Squad was required to enliven England. Borthwick opted not to revisit the pairing in the following matches, switching Freeman to the wing before an injury took him out of the equation.
Since getting fit, Freeman has shown his value at club centre, scoring five tries against Bath, Harlequins and Bordeaux wearing the No.13. Dingwall wasn’t always his partner in that run but there is a good reason why Freeman’s attacking prowess is so admired. Borthwick now wants a piece of it again versus Wales, pairing Freeman in the middle with Dingwall, who, it must be remembered, also scored the crucial try in the 2024 Six Nations win over the Welsh.
The wonder of Coles
There was a time when second row Coles was nearly always surplus to requirements with England. Good to call up to squads and muck in on the training field, but not so good when it came to making the matchday selection. A return ticket to Northampton was usually the outcome, but he has now matured into a glue player producing the sort of impact that lives up to the high expectations of Borthwick, himself a lock in his playing days.
It was Eddie Jones who handed Coles his Test debut, but his fortunes under Borthwick were misplaced. There were just four cameos off the bench before things took a rapid upturn. England tours during Lions years don’t usually get much credence but last year’s series win in Argentina was different and it polished up Coles’ credentials no end. He started twice against the Pumas and also against the USA.
Then, despite featuring for just eight minutes off the bench against the Aussies at the start of November, the month went swimmingly for the forward as he started the following three matches, playing the full 80. Now he is set for a first Six Nations start.
It’s the stuff of dreams for the Saints enforcer who learned the ropes at club level from David Ribbans, before he quit England for the south of France, allowing Coles to come into his own at Franklin’s Gardens and now at Test level.
Borthwick, of course, won’t give away his tactics, but you have to imagine Coles’ work-rate in getting from ruck to ruck and shedding his apprentice tag has played nicely into the coach naming a starting back row of Guy Pepper, Sam Underhill and Ben Earl for the fourth time in five matches.
There is a back five combination gelling nicely, and Coles can hold his head up. His latest selection is a just reward.
Hello, Henry
You can’t help but salivate over the potential of the back three that Borthwick has named. We all know about the ability at Test level with England of Steward at full-back and Feyi-Waboso on the wing, but the addition of Arundell to the mix is tremendously exciting.
The head coach isn’t one for patience with his rearguard. Look at how he got into the habit of dropping Steward before he improved the sharpness of the lines he now runs, and there was only a fleeting welcome back to the fold for Arundell last November.
It was a sad reflection on the state of the financially perilous Premiership that the kid felt it best for his career to switch to Racing 92 for two seasons following the 2023 collapse of London Irish.
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There have been lively examples of his ability at Test level, including scoring with his first touch in Australia at the age of 19 and then scoring five in one World Cup game versus Chile. However, joining the Top 14 put him beyond England’s reach until his return this season to Bath where he has scored eight tries in a dozen PREM and Investec Champions Cup starts.
Borthwick didn’t dive straight in for the Autumn Nations Series, restricting Arundell’s potency to a late try-scoring cameo off the bench against Fiji.
However, with Wales defence unsettled despite the arrival of Steve Tandy, the Scottish defence coach, as their head coach, the feeling is there are plenty of areas for England to exploit – and it includes out wide with the out-and-out pace of Arundell.
Now 23, he has a golden chance to demonstrate to Borthwick that he can be a Test regular, not a luxury to only wheel out now and again. Twickenham could be electrified on Saturday by the damage he can potentially inflict on the Welsh.
