England team v All Blacks: Winners and losers as Steve Borthwick makes ‘brave calls’ with Henry Slade’s value made ‘crystal clear’ and ‘heavy hitter’ snubbed
Split image of England players Henry Slade and Sam Underhill.
Following the announcement of England’s squad to face the All Blacks at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, we pick out our winners and losers from Steve Borthwick’s selections.
England fell to back-to-back defeats to the All Blacks in New Zealand, and Borthwick’s charges will now be keen on knocking over Scott Robertson’s men on home soil.
It will be no easy task, however, as the last time the Red Rose defeated the All Blacks at Twickenham Stadium was back in 2013 when Manu Tuilagi inspired the team to a famous 38-21 victory.
In an attempt to end that run of three defeats and one draw, Borthwick has made some bold selection calls from the team that fronted up against the All Blacks in July.
Winners
George Furbank
Last year it was almost unthinkable that Freddie Steward would not be selected at full-back for England when fit but fast-forward to the present day and George Furbank has all but made the jersey his own.
During the Six Nations, he usurped Steward as the first-choice number 15 and after shining for Northampton Saints en route to the Premiership title, he retained that role for the opening Test against the All Blacks.
He shone in Dunedin at the back and only missed the Auckland clash because of a back injury. But now that he is fully fit and firing – shining again for Saints, now as their skipper – he is back to what is quickly becoming his usual position.
Henry Slade
It’s quite remarkable the coaching staff’s shift in perspective when it comes to Henry Slade. Just a year ago, he was omitted from the England squad for the Rugby World Cup and now, he has been included not only in the training squad but the matchday team to face the All Blacks after playing just 54 minutes of Premiership rugby.
The 31-year-old was outstanding last season for Exeter Chiefs and duly earned his recall to the squad. It’s crystal clear that he is a crucial cog in England’s defensive system even if his attacking prowess isn’t quite up to the same standard. He still has the ability to create opportunities for the men outside of him and with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tommy Freeman on the flanks, it will be crucial that he does just that.
Marcus Smith
Frankly, his form was deserving of another start against the All Blacks and Borthwick has duly rewarded Marcus Smith as he gets the number 10 jersey ahead of George Ford and Fin Smith.
After a few wobbles off the tee in New Zealand, he has responded marvellously with a 94% success rate in the Premiership, missing just one of his 16 shots at goal while adding two try assists and two tries of his own.
When it comes to Test rugby, form doesn’t always dictate selection and that is evident with some of Borthwick’s selections – more on that in a bit – but in Smith’s case, it very much is.
Ben Spencer
There was always going to be a change at scrum-half with Alex Mitchell missing the November internationals which has opened the door for Ben Spencer to finally earn his first Test start for his country.
It’s been a long road to a first start for Spencer, who made his Test debut for England back in 2019 and will earn just his seventh cap. Throughout his career, he has been superbly consistent for Saracens and Bath but that form hasn’t always been appreciated by the England coaches.
Still, he gets his chance now and there is no better place to do it than at home of English Rugby and against the All Blacks.
Ellis Genge
After sadly missing the Tests against the All Blacks earlier this year due to injury, Ellis Genge returns and takes up the starting role where he is likely to go toe-to-toe with the brilliant Tyrel Lomax.
Borthwick has made no secret about his admiration of Genge and his return straight into the starting XV is yet another indication of that, as is his inclusion as one of four vice-captains – even if that is a daft concept.
Fin Baxter
Sticking with the props and baby-face Fin Baxter is retained in the matchday 23 after debuting against New Zealand in July. The Harlequins star looks even more confident since making his international debut and has spent the opening rounds of the Premiership melting ball carriers in his path and powering the Quarters’ scrum forwards.
As mentioned above, not all of Borthwick’s selections have been form-based but Baxter’s very much is as few would have batted an eye had the experience of Joe Marler had been backed over the 22-year-old rising star.
His mobility and aggression will certainly be handy in the final quarter or so as he provides a double punch at loosehead, he has shown as much in the Premiership a joint-second highest tally of nine dominant tackles and has made an impressive 43 carries in his five matches.
George Ford
Proven quality, experience and big match temperament carried a lot of weight when it came to Ford’s inclusion in the matchday 23.
Ford has missed Sale Sharks’ last four Premiership matches through injury, last playing for the side against Saracens at the end of September.
However, Borthwick has urged his side to turn close defeats into victories and it’s hard to argue against having a fresh Ford on the pitch in the closing stages to guide the team over the line, particularly when one considers the All Blacks’ poor form in the final 20 minutes this year.
Ford will earn his 97th cap if he comes off the bench and you simply cannot ignore the value of experience in international rugby.
Harry Randall
Another beneficiary of Mitchell’s untimely injury, Harry Randall could earn his eighth cap for his country off the bench after a fantastic start to the season.
He has seven try involvements for Bristol in the Premiership – two tries and five assists – and thoroughly deserves his shot as he beats Jack van Poortvliet to a spot in the matchday 23.
Losers
Elliot Daly
Elliot Daly was duly rewarded with a recall to the England squad after a standout start to the season with Saracens but the versatile back has not done enough in the coaches’ eyes to claim a spot at centre, wing or full-back or even on the bench.
With a tricky November ahead for England, he may get his chance against Australia, South Africa or Japan but he would have loved to get a crack at the men in black.
Jack van Poortvliet
Van Poortvliet is yet to play for England since that horrible pre-World Cup injury that dashed his dreams of featuring at the tournament.
The 23-year-old still has plenty of time to force his way back into the matchday squad and become a regular in the team but he will have to wait patiently for that opportunity.
It’s a real shame for the scrum-half as it looked as if he was nailing down the starting jersey before his injury.
Luke Cowan-Dickie
Speaking of injuries, Luke Cowan-Dickie has had his fair share but looks to have put those setbacks behind him and earned his recall to Borthwick’s squad.
While the England boss backed the experience of Ford on the bench as fly-half cover, that same thinking was not implemented for the hooker berth.
The British and Irish Lion would have been a solid pick in the number 16 jersey particularly when one considers how often Borthwick has let Jamie George play almost the entire match. Perhaps that has shifted more as the year has gone on as Theo Dan was given more minutes against the All Blacks in July.
Ted Hill
After Ollie Chessum’s injury, there was a good chance that Ted Hill could go from overlooked for the squad to a member of the matchday 23. It would have been a like-for-like switch but it is not to be for the Bath star who is stuck on a single-digit cap tally.
Fin Smith
While Ford and Marcus Smith are deserving of their selections and they are certainly understandable, Fin Smith can still feel hard done by after a sterling start to the new season.
The Saints star has hardly put a foot wrong in the England jumper but there is stiff competition at fly-half and Borthwick is spoilt for choice.
Sam Underhill
While we are on the topic of Borthwick being spoilt for choice, Sam Underhill’s exclusion is a clear marker of just how deep the England back-row depth runs.
The Bath man has been excellent in the Premiership and was just as good – if not better – in July which makes his omission all the more puzzling.
The heavy-hitting back-rower has gone from starting all three of the July internationals to missing the first November Test altogether.
Alex Lozowski
Alex Lozowski would have been delighted to earn a recall to the England squad after years in the wilderness and would have fancied his chances of claiming the starting 13 jersey against the All Blacks.
He would have also offered great versatility off the bench with his ability to play at fly-half, full-back and in the centres, but Borthwick had other ideas.
