England team winners and losers as ‘pivotal’ test awaits Marcus Smith, Steve Borthwick rewards two rookies against the All Blacks
Our winners and losers from the squad selected to tackle the All Blacks in the opening game.
Following the announcement of Steve Borthwick’s England team to tackle the All Blacks in the first Test match in New Zealand, we pick out our winners and losers.
The Red Rose boss has named a largely unchanged squad for the fixture, leaning on consistency after his side enjoyed better success at the tail end of the Six Nations before sweeping Japan with a 52-17 victory last week.
In fact, Borthwick has made just two changes to his England starting XV, both in the pack, with the further tweaks on the bench seeing two players make their Test debuts.
It promises to be a mighty clash at Forsyth Barr Stadium against the All Blacks, who begin a new era under head Scott Robertson.
So, without further ado, here are our winners and losers from Borthwick’s selections.
Winners
Dan Cole
Dan Cole’s international career reaches another remarkable milestone on Saturday as he is in line to earn his 114th cap, which equals the tally of England legend Jason Leonard as the side’s most capped men’s forward.
Only his clubmate Ben Youngs (127) has played more times for England’s men’s team in their history, but what makes Cole’s tally even more impressive is that he was outcasted from the squad between 2020 and 2022 but has become a regular member of the matchday 23 under Borthwick.
Quiz: Can you name the ten most capped England rugby players of all-time?
Marcus Smith
The temptation would have been to back the Premiership winner and in-form prodigy Fin Smith for the opening Test match against the All Blacks, but Marcus Smith rose to the occasion last week in the thumping win over Japan.
Borthwick is clearly a fan of the Harlequins playmaker, who was even deployed at full-back during the Rugby World Cup. But with Owen Farrell now ineligible for England following his move to Racing 92 and George Ford injured, Smith gets the keys to the England attack against the mighty All Blacks.
This tour could be a pivotal point in Marcus’ career as he has an open shot at making the number 10 jumper his own.
Ben Spencer
After missing out on the matchday squad last week, Ben Spencer is among the replacements for the opening game against New Zealand, which seems rather overdue.
He was in sensational form for Bath this season, steering the side into the final where they fell agonisingly short to Northampton Saints, with Spencer thriving in all facets of the game.
Spencer has always been on the fringe of the England squad, and with Danny Care and Youngs now retired, he can really press for more regular involvement, even though Alex Mitchell looks to have made the starting jumper his own.
Fin Baxter
Beno Obano’s suspension swung the selection door wide open for Harlequins’ 22-year-old loosehead Fin Baxter, who is set to make his Test debut from the bench.
He is still in the early stages of his career, obviously, but the front-rower had a hugely impressive season with the Famous Quarters and now gets the opportunity to recreate that form on the big stage.
Baxter really impressed in the scrums this season, particularly in the Investec Champions Cup, but will have his work cut out for him in the late knockings of the match as he squares up against a Jason Ryan-led All Blacks pack.
Ollie Sleightholme
The other Test debutant on the bench and another whose Premiership form has been rightfully rewarded with a Test call-up and a potential debut.
Ollie Sleightholme grabbed an impressive 15 tries in 14 Premiership appearances, helping his side clinch their first title in a decade.
He now follows in his father Jon Sleightholme’s footsteps, who scored four tries in 12 caps for his country in the late 1990s.
Chandler Cunningham-South
With Ollie Chessum sidelined, England always needed to fill a spot in their starting back-five in the pack, and Chandler Cunningham-South has risen to the occasion.
The Quins rookie made a real impact during his debut Six Nations campaign and continued that form with his club throughout the season. He earned his first start against Japan last week and again made the most of his opportunity. He is bound to cause all kinds of problems for All Blacks.
A quality lock-blindside flanker hybrid of Test standard is a real premium in the modern age, and Cunningham-South is making a remarkable fist of it after an incredible rise.
Steve Borthwick
Borthwick was brought in to steady the ship ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup and helped the side reach the semi-finals, falling short to the eventual winners, South Africa.
Now into his first full year as the England boss, Borthwick has found consistency in selection and after a strong finish to the Six Nations, he now has a settled squad that can trouble the All Blacks in their own backyard.
Quiz: Can you name the last England team to beat the All Blacks in New Zealand?
Losers
Freddie Steward
At one stage, Freddie Steward looked undroppable in the England squad, but times have changed, and the aerial specialist has been replaced in the starting XV with Borthwick favouring a playmaking threat in the number 15 jumper.
The 23-year-old has plenty of time to force his way into the squad and work on the shortcomings that are keeping him out of matchday 23, but right now, it looks rather challenging.
Harry Randall
One has to feel that Harry Randall was given the opportunity against Japan to force his way into the matchday 23 for the opening Test versus the All Blacks.
However, he has been beaten to the role of Mitchell’s backup by Spencer despite an energetic 29 minutes scoring a try against the Brave Blossoms.
Bevan Rodd
Ellis Genge’s injury and Obano’s suspension opened a loosehead role in the England team, and while Bevan Rodd got his shot to stake his claim against Japan, he missed out on selection against the All Blacks.
He came into the squad off the back of a strong season with Sale Sharks but has been beaten to the side by Harlequins’ impressive loosehead.
Ethan Roots
After a blockbuster start to his England career with a man-of-the-match performance against Italy, Ethan Roots has slipped down the pecking order for a loose forward role.
He might still get a shot this July, but Tom Curry’s return to full fitness means that his chances have dwindled even more.
Fin Smith
If Marcus Smith is a winner, then Fin Smith is an unfortunate loser as he takes his place on the bench, missing out on the starting jumper.
Still, at 22-years-old he cracks an England squad to tackle an All Blacks team in New Zealand – that is no small feat.
