England team v Wales: Winners and losers as star should be ‘fuming’ while Steve Borthwick hands veteran a ‘shot at redemption’
We pick our winners and losers from the England team to face Wales.
Steve Borthwick has named his England matchday squad for the final round of the 2025 Six Nations against Wales at the Principality Stadium.
England head into the final round with an outside shot of winning the tournament as they trail the table toppers France by a single point.
Borthwick has made four changes, one enforced, for the final round of the tournament while prop Will Stuart will earn his 50th cap.
Without further ado, here’s our winners and losers from the England team named to face Wales on Super Saturday in the Six Nations.
Winners
Will Stuart
What a tournament it has been for the tighthead prop who has well and truly put his hand up for the British and Irish Lions tour this July. He has been in sterling form in the scrums and showed off his footwork last time out against Italy too.
It’s been a breakout year for Stuart who has been in the squad for some time now but is arguably in career-best form this year and now caps off a memorable Six Nations campaign as he earns his 50th appearance for his country.
It could be even better as England could lift the title.
Ben Curry
Another player who has been in sensational form this campaign and is now duly rewarded with another start. Ben Curry has taken every opportunity that has come his way with both hands this Six Nations and gets a second start alongside his twin brother Tom.
While many believe that Tom is a nigh-on automatic selection for the Lions Series, the same is not true for Ben but he has certainly thrown his name in the ring.
Saints centre of attention
In the build-up to the tournament, there were calls for Tommy Freeman to shift from the wing into the centres where he regularly features for his club team Northampton Saints. Those calls grew as the Six Nations went on and for the final round of the competition, it is finally happening.
While fans would have wanted it to be under different circumstances, not because of Ollie Lawrence’s injury, the fact that Freeman is getting his shot in his favoured and perhaps best position is just reward for one of England’s best players this campaign.
He slots into the midfield position and partners his clubmate Fraser Dingwall who impressed against Italy in what was also a long-overdue opportunity.
England’s attack has come under huge scrutiny this Six Nations and even before then but with such a strong Saints contingent in the backline – as well as the exciting presence of Marcus Smith and Elliot Daly – perhaps this will be the game where they stamp their mark and kick it up a few gears from the improved showing against Italy.
Elliot Daly
On the topic of Daly. The veteran back is yet another who has risen to the occasion when given the opportunity to do so, playing a crucial role in the victory over France.
After strong showings off the bench, he was rewarded with a start against Italy and after the early setback of Lawrence, he shifted into the midfield and put in yet another strong shift.
Daly’s versatility has always been a huge asset for England when he has been in the squad but one has to praise his resilience to fight his way back into the selection frame and then make the most of the limited chances that came his way. This week he shifts onto the wing and don’t be surprised if he impresses yet again.
Fly-halves
The battle of the Smiths, Marcus and Finn, has dominated the storylines this Six Nations with George Ford ultimately becoming the forgotten man after failing to make a single matchday squad.
Ford’s performances, particularly off the tee, was a main talking point last November with the veteran pivot missing crucial opportunities in the narrow defeats. Now, he gets a shot at redemption after being named on the bench for England’s final Six Nations fixture.
Borthwick has backed all three players in the matchday squad for the first time this year in what is an interesting call, particularly with the head coach backing a 6-2 split. While Ford is proven quality and brings mass experience, he is not the most versatile of players with Borthwick stacking his starting XV with backs that can easily shift around the backline.
Considering the fact that the fly-half jersey has changed hands so often over the past 12 months, it is a surprise to see all three players crack the 23. It’s a particularly interesting decision as it leaves England with no back-three cover on the bench with Freeman likely to shift out a position in the event of an injury to a winger.
Henry Pollock
There are very few England players who have caused as much of a stir as rising star Henry Pollock through their age-grade performances.
In fact, the 20-year-old has impressed so much this year that Borthwick pulled him out of the U20s squad and has now rewarded him with a spot on the bench against Wales in what could be the start of an incredibly long Test career.
Pollock has the raw potential to be a superstar of the international rugby with an all-court game on both sides of the ball. With a high-energy approach, he could make a huge impact in the latter stages of the game.
Tom Roebuck
Another Test debutant, Sale Sharks star Tom Roebuck earns a long-awaited fourth cap and does so in the starting XV. According to reports, the speedster was in line for a debut but Borthwick’s decision to back a 6-2 split on the bench made it difficult for him to claim a spot on the bench following the injury to Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.
A call-up to the squad was just reward for the winger’s form with Sale but now, he gets his chance to shine in the white jersey.
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Losers
Ted Hill
One player that can be rightly fuming that he has not got much of a shot this Six Nations, Ted Hill falls out of the matchday 23 after a pair of incredibly brief shifts off the bench.
Following the injury to George Martin, England’s lock stocks have been put under the spotlight with Maro Itoje and Ollie Chessum being the only locks in the 23s against Scotland and Italy. Hill was tasked with providing cover in the second row for both fixtures but got onto the pitch with the game pretty over against Scotland and just over ten minutes against Italy.
Hill’s showings for Bath in the Premiership and Investec Champions Cup demanded a call-up to Borthwick’s squad but that’s just about as far as it has gone. He has hardly put a foot wrong in his two cameos this Six Nations as the theme of him not even getting a fair opportunity at the highest level.
Surely one of the form Premiership forwards deserves better. Borthwick has rewarded form recently with his selections but not quite to the same degree for Hill.
Ollie Lawrence
As mentioned above, while fans and pundits will be pleased with Freeman getting his shot in the number 13 jersey, it comes at a cost for Lawrence.
The 25-year-old had finally settled in his role and responsibility as England’s starting midfielder and frankly, the injury could not have come at a worse time. He was surely in the mix for Lions’ selection too- a gutting blow.
Theo Dan
The Saracens youngster really impressed off the bench in the opening rounds of the Six Nations but the return of his clubmate Jamie George resulted in his omission from the replacements bench, which has continued right through to the end of the Championship.
Dan was really making strong strides with his cameo outings but will need to go back to Saracens and stake his claim for more involvements in July.
Ollie Sleightholme
Despite grabbing a brace against Italy last weekend, Ollie Sleightholme drops out of the matchday 23 with England seemingly set to deploy kick-heavy tactics against Wales.
It’s a real shame for the Northampton speedster who has been solid in all of his performances but doesn’t have the kicking skillset to retain his position this weekend.
Freddie Steward
It’s been a real fall from grace for Leicester Tigers full-back Freddie Steward who not so long ago looked like the long-term starting number 15 for England.
He had his shot in the opening game against France and that 65-minute shift ultimately proved to be his only appearance this Six Nations. The shortcomings in his game are seemingly the reasons behind his omissions with Marcus Smith boasting a better playmaking and kicking game with more pace to offer the backline and the same is true or George Furbank who has been sidelined this Championship.
Cap-less stars
By the time the final whistle goes on Saturday, 115 caps will have been earned by England players this weekend but some players are particularly unlucky not to add to their tallies.
In the centres, Oscar Beard will feel hard done-by having been in the squad since the start of the tournament and would have fancied his chances of making his debut when Lawrence went down against Italy. It would have been more of a longshot for Max Ojomoh who was called into the squad in the aftermath of his Bath teammate’s injury.
Meanwhile, Sale’s props Bevan Rodd and Asher Opoku-Fordjour have been in sublime form for their club but not enough to earn caps this campaign. It’s particularly disappointing for Rodd who was dominating opposition tightheads this season. Lastly, the in-form Curtis Langdon pays the price for the depth Borthwick has at his disposal at hooker.
