England team: Winners and losers as Steve Borthwick risks first-ever Italy defeat but reverses ‘truly baffling’ snub
England head coach Steve Borthwick, forward Ben Earl and back Elliot Daly.
Following the announcement of the England team to face Italy in round four of the Six Nations, here are our winners and losers from Steve Borthwick’s selections.
Winners
Elliot Daly
Out of the cold and straight into the starting XV. Elliot Daly completely bypasses the likes of George Furbank and Marcus Smith to usurp Freddie Steward and earn a start against Italy on Saturday.
Daly was in stunning form before a crushing injury during the British and Irish Lions series last year and been more than solid for Saracens upon his return. Considering his showings last year in the Six Nations, his pedigree and versatility, his omission in the first three weekends of the tournament was truly baffling.
However, he benefits from Borthwick’s mass changes to the run-on team as one of the nine new faces who didn’t feature in the defeat to Ireland last time out.
At 33, he still has plenty to offer England and this is his opportunity to drive that point home.
Italy
Gonzalo Quesada’s speeches write themselves this weekend. ‘England are panicking, they are there for the taking’ or even ‘they don’t respect us, they believe that this is the same Italy as old, we are not’.
The Azzurri delivered in round one, threatened and were unlucky in round two and were simply outclassed in round three. If it is to be a historic campaign for Italy, a result is needed in round four and it’s absolutely within their grasp with new combinations littered throughout England’s team.
Italy’s injury list is still rather lengthy with Ange Capuozzo added after the clash with France but Quesada has been bolstered by the returns of Tommaso Allan, Gianmarco Lucchesi, Stephen Varney, and most notably Juan Ignacio Brex.
The combination of Brex and Tommaso Menoncello wreaks havoc on the best of centre pairings in international rugby and this week, they could do just that on the new pairing of Seb Atkinson and Tommy Freeman. The Italian duo have a nigh-on telepathic connection, something that simply isn’t formed during a fallow week.
England remain the only Six Nations team that Italy have never beaten. A fact that the Azzurri will be well aware of but over the last decade, Italy have made a habit of historic firsts and will be hellbent on scratching England off that list.
New wingers
Cadan Murley has been a standout for Harlequins throughout their underwhelming season and enjoyed a particularly fine run of form in the Investec Champions Cup, topping several attacking statistics. The 26-year-old had a nightmarish debut last year in the Championship but bounced back to impress during the tour of the Americas but hasn’t got another opportunity since.
Henry Arundell was lethal when try-scoring opportunities came his way but his work-rate and accuracy let him down, the latter resulting in a double yellow card and red. Murley now gets the chance to stake his claim for further involvement, and tries should really not be the yardstick.
Meanwhile, Tom Roebuck made his return from injury in the opening round of the Six Nations and immediately hit his straps, even if the game was perhaps a week too soon. We saw that may have been the case a week later as he fell out of the matchday 23 to face Ireland.
The Sale Sharks star’s talents are undeniable and his aerial prowess makes him a real asset in the modern game. He deserves an opportunity to set the record straight.
Seb Atkinson
The England midfield selection wheel stops on Atkinson this week as he partners Freeman against the Italians. Atkinson started both the Test matches against Argentina last July, but like Murley, he didn’t get a sniff at a start in November and for the first three rounds of the tournament.
He comes into the starting XV ahead of Fraser Dingwall who started all of the opening three matches and was widely viewed as the ‘glue man’ of the England backline. Atkinson offers a more bullish and brutal style of play to the number 12 jumper, a contrasting style that could well pay dividends.
As much as the game has changed, it’s always handy to have a big unit at inside centre and while Atkinson’s game is far more rounded than an old-school crash ball 12 he does have that in his arsenal and it’s rather essential considering the more mobile loose trio England are deploying.
Luke Cowan-Dickie
After being hooked 29 minutes into England’s disastrous first half against Ireland, many would have predicted that Luke Cowan-Dickie would be dropped from the matchday 23 entirely.
However, his scrummaging prowess has possibly saved his bacon as he takes a spot on the bench with Borthwick, probably mindful of how powerful the Azzurri have been in the set-piece, as well as the return of Lucchesi.
Hooker is a crucial position at the highest level, highlighted by just how few players are trusted in the role by Borthwick and other head coaches of international teams. Malcolm Marx and Bongi Mbonambi have dominated the two positions for South Africa for both their World Cup campaigns. New Zealand have trusted Codie Taylor and Samisoni Taukei’aho, with Asafo Aumua getting an opportunity when the latter was injured. In the crunch, France have turned to Peato Mauvaka and Julien Marchand, whilst Julian Montoya has been Argentina’s go-to man with his deputy mostly playing a supporting act.
Theo Dan has gotten a handful of opportunities but even when he has been included on the bench, Jamie George has often gone deep into a Test match. Cowan-Dickie’s experience and pedigree gets him the nod this week but he simply cannot afford to produce another underwhelming shift.
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Ben Earl
It’s been a long way to 50 for Ben Earl who earn his Test debut for England in the 2020 Six Nations clash against Scotland. Eddie Jones would utilise him for the next two Championships before he was omitted from his squads time and time again.
However, his international career was revitalised when Borthwick took charge as he quickly became a regular starter for England and went on to start the knockout matches against Fiji and South Africa at the Rugby World Cup as well as the bronze final against Argentina.
He even earned a place on the British and Irish Lions tour last year. It’s hard to imagine an England starting XV without Earl’s name featuring in the back-row, which is only testament to the quality of player he is.
The half-backs
Ben Spencer and Fin Smith perhaps have the biggest points to prove in Rome as they earn their first starts of the Championship. The former has long been overlooked and undervalued by England coaches but at Bath, the scrum-half has not only become a leader of the side but a crucial cog in the well-oiled machine.
The question has always been whether Spencer can replicate those performances and if he suits England’s gameplan well enough or not. His contestable kicking game and tactical excellence mean that he has the tools to dominate at the highest level; now it’s his chance to prove that against a national that is excellent in the air.
Since last July, George Ford has been Borthwick’s first-choice general, the form fly-half in England, despite both Smiths earning British and Irish Lions call-ups ahead of him. Saints’ Smith has been the fulcrum of the Northampton backline and gets his first real opportunity of 2026 to usurp Ford as the main man in the number 10 jumper.
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Losers
Steve Borthwick
After back-to-back defeats, wholesale changes were always going to be viewed as a panicked reaction from Borthwick. Frankly, it was a lose-lose situation regardless of how the head coach decided to approach the trip to Rome.
Whether he chose wisely or not will be solely dependent on the result in the Italian capital. Lose and the knives will be out, win unconvincingly and they will be sharpened but a comprehensive victory will be seen as a possible revival with the caveat of it ‘just being Italy’.
It was obvious that England needed a shake-up of sorts; Borthwick has delivered that; unfortunately for him, the optics were always going to be one of being reactive.
Freddie Steward
While Cowan-Dickie survived the axe, Steward has not and it’s not surprising in the slightest. The outlawing of the escorts should suit the Leicester Tigers star down to a tee but it has acted almost like a hindrance so far this Six Nations.
He had a tough outing against Ireland, and Borthwick removed him from the action before it turned into a full-blown mare.
George Ford
One bad game doesn’t make a world-class player a bad one, nor do two, but it’s completely understandable that Borthwick has taken Ford out of the limelight for the trip to Rome.
The 32-year-old will continue to be an important player to England going through to the World Cup, but form does dip even for the best of players and Ford proved that he is no exception to the rule. He had a tough fortnight of matches and depth is crucial, so giving a top talent like Smith a chance to shine is just as important.
Chandler Cunningham-South
Despite the plethora of changes, Borthwick has stuck to his guns when it comes to his loose-forward selections. The same five back-rowers has featured throughout the Championship despite it being plainly obvious that it remains unbalanced, lacking a bigger unit.
Fielding any of the three locks included against Italy could have done the balancing act; Chandler Cunningham-South may have too.
Ireland beat England on the gain-line last time out but Borthwick is persisting with mobility and work-rate over grunt, balance and size when it comes to his loose trios. Victory over Italy won’t be vindication, but defeat will be condemnation.
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Theo Dan
As mentioned above, cracking the nod for an international hooker role is a mighty challenge and right now, Dan isn’t even getting the opportunity to stake his case.
The set-pieces must surely be his shortcoming as his work-rate and athletic prowess are where he differentiates himself from Cowan-Dickie and George.
