England tour: Winners and losers as Steve Borthwick left ‘grinning like a kid at Christmas’ while freak athlete remains an ‘outcast’
England head coach Steve Borthwick with an inset of Henry Slade
Following the conclusion of England’s three-Test mid-year series against Argentina and the USA, here are our key winners and losers.
Winners
Debutants
Steve Borthwick handed out 10 debuts on this tour of the Americas, with Seb Atkinson, Arthur Clark, Charlie Atkinson, Guy Pepper, Max Ojomoh, Will Muir, Oscar Beard, Luke Northmore, Gabe Oghre and Joe Carpenter all making their Test bow at various points, but they all made an instant impression at this level.
All nine men have been banging on the door of the England senior squad for some time now, but they more than took the chances afforded to them with some strong performances, including several debut scores too, but they also seemed pretty comfortable with the jump up to this level as well, which is a huge plus. The Prem has long been seen as a league that doesn’t create Test players, but they all proved that point wrong.
A lot of this cohort seem destined for further Test involvement.
Centre combinations
The midfield has long been a problem area for England, but the combinations of Seb Atkinson and Northmore and then Ojomoh and Northmore are undoubtedly a major winner from this tour. Both seemed to instantly click, but crucially in different ways too. Take the combination of Atkinson and Northmore, both players like to get the ball in their hands, but their differing lines of attack allowed them to add some proper strike while then keeping the other as an option out the back. The pair also have some silky hands, which then allowed them to send the other powering through a gap.
Then, the combination of Ojomoh and Northmore worked really well as the defence and attack sort of combo. For all of Northmore’s cutting lines and distribution, Ojomoh was there making big defensive reads and keeping the line intact. He also seemed to relish his role within this new system of pushing out from third-man rather than out-to-in.
Again, the midfield has been a real issue for England in recent times, especially with the faltering partnership of Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence (two fantastic players in their own right, we must stress), but it seems these new connections have turned it into a strength.
George Ford
Rewind back to November, Ford was public enemy number one after the All Blacks defeat, with fans criticising both his performance and Borthwick’s selection of him ahead of Fin Smith, but the classy centurion has made a lot of people eat their words this summer.
The Oldham-native was at his silky best this summer as he conducted England’s attacking orchestra with exquisite efficiency. His flat bullet passing right at the line allowed the ball-hungry centres to really flourish, but he blended that with pinpoint kicking to make the most of Muir and Tom Roebuck out wide.
He also stepped up to the captaincy plate, which is something he has deserved for a long time, too. A majestic summer from Ford.
Tom Willis
It’s clear Borthwick wants a smash-and-bash number eight to balance out his all-action flankers, and Tom Willis yet again proved he is exactly the man for the job.
He was at his brutal best across his outings against Los Pumas, crucially beating the abrasive Pablo Matera in the process. Willis has really come of age this season, and his performances for England this summer were rather fitting in that aspect.
Tom Roebuck
Borthwick said Test-match animals would be created on this tour, and it seems Roebuck has proved he was right. The Sale winger was absolutely outstanding in his showings this summer, becoming a key cog within Lee Blackett’s new-look attack. His aerial prowess worked wonders in tandem with Ford’s kicking, but he combined that with some wonderful moments ball-in-hand and finishing.
What’s even more impressive is this comes just one year after his Test debut. To make the leap from debutant to possibly the future of this attack in that short amount of time is genuinely remarkable, and he deserves all the flowers that come his way off the back of it.
Freddie Steward
It’s been a tough year for Steward on the Test front after being usurped by George Furbank and then Marcus Smith, but he made a great return to the side against Los Pumas.
He managed to showcase his attacking improvements for the first time in an England shirt, flourishing in Blackett’s system, but still managed to remain just as solid in other aspects of his game.
It seems Steward is back to his A-game at Test level, and that will only be a good thing for Borthwick moving forward.
Ben Spencer
This summer was a big chance for Ben Spencer, and he took it. The Bath skipper has inexplicably found himself outside of Borthwick’s regular 23 since being axed in the autumn, but upon being thrust back into the starting line-up he showed why many have called for him to be the number one number nine.
Right across the series against Los Pumas, he added the same sort of control he’s done all season for Bath, which then got a tune out of Ford et al. His marshalling of the pack was also vital in stopping Argentina from getting going in that department as well.
Fin Baxter and Joe Heyes
They both really kicked on during the Six Nations, but this summer felt a real coming-of-age tour for the pair, which is exactly what Borthwick would have wanted.
Across their entire game, they just seemed markedly improved. They both consistently looked to get involved around the park, and backed that intent up with solid interventions, but it’s the scrum where they should feel the most pleased.
Aside from the odd penalty, the pair overpowered their Los Pumas counterparts in the scrums and looked properly fearsome as a result.
The front-row has again been another point of contention in this squad, with the transition from the ever-lasting Joe Marler and Dan Cole seen as a real issue, but it seems they have nailed the long-term succession plan down with Baxter and Heyes.
Steve Borthwick
This time last year, Borthwick was under pressure for his job, but now he returns to England a celebrated hero.
The 2024 Test season was a hard one for England, losing narrowly to New Zealand on three occasions, Australia and South Africa, but now it seems England have found different ways of winning games and, crucially, found ways to grind out results too.
At times, England played some dazzling rugby, but when push came to shove and they were under pressure, they still found that winning touch to get over the line. Borthwick has helped install a new winning mentality this tour, and England fans will be hoping it will carry on.
But, he’s also probably learned a lot more about the players at his disposal, which will leave him grinning like a kid at Christmas. His debutants all succeeded at this level after strong Prem campaigns, and he saw players previously on the fringes of the side become key players and then saw his leaders take another massive step forward as well. Back that all up with three wins from three and you’ve got yourself a party!
England seem in a much better place than at this time last year. Could this be the true dawn of the Borthwick era?
Lee Blackett and Byron McGuigan
The two new faces within Borthwick’s coaching group, Blackett and Byron McGuigan, return to England with much higher stock than they left with.
Both men were afforded the freedom to rip up the script and change their respective areas, and boy oh boy did they do that well. Blackett’s attack had the sort of clinical touch and precision that Bath have become famous for this season, and it got a proper tune out of this England backline. The forwards also upped their playmaking skills too, which is always a good thing.
McGuigan came in to help Joe El Abd with the defence, but he took the good aspects from the Six Nations and improved in every way. The sharp push out of third man rather than out wide to in not only got them making more consistent dominant tackles, but it boosted their ability to pen in the Argentina playmakers too. This will also likely be something England adopt moving forward.
A huge summer for this Prem pairing, which again just shows the talent right across the English domestic game and how it can help the national side.
Losers
Unused players
While this summer will be fondly remembered by a lot of players, the unused duo of Nick Isiekwe and Afolabi Fasogbon might have a slightly different view.
The ‘unbelievable’ George Ford takeaway after England wrap up successful tour
Both men feature in strong positions though, at tighthead and lock, so it was always going to be hard to crack into the 23s, but they will still have liked a cap given their time in camp.
Ted Hill
His brief cameo off the bench against the USA probably reflects where Ted Hill sits in the England pecking order, despite being a star in the Prem.
He does feature in a loaded back-row unit, but he has been in brilliant form this domestic season and could certainly do a job in the starting back-row if called upon.
This also felt like a real chance for him to nail down that shirt with an eye on the 2027 World Cup, but alas, he remains an outcast in this England squad.
Henry Slade
It’s been a tough season for Slade, and ending it with an injury is probably a metaphor for it.
He was handed a golden chance to nail down that 13 shirt too after being dramatically axed in the Six Nations, but his injury robbed him of a proper run in the side. Northmore’s displays have also likely increased competition too.
Harry Randall
Like Hill, Harry Randall’s spot in this England squad has probably been reflected by his cameo against the USA.
England are also pretty set at scrum-half, with Mitchell to come back in from the Lions as well, so he is purely a victim of the depth chart rather than his own performances.
Lions tourists
While they might be assured of their Test spots, there will no doubt be more pressure to perform given the success of this summer tour and the competition it’s driven.
Right across the squad, there will be players absolutely gunning for shirts, and they’ve also proved they can win Test matches as well, so the Lions tourists will need to hit the ground running in the autumn if they want to keep their England spots.
That will only be a good thing for the future, though, especially heading into the 2027 World Cup.
