England: Winners and losers from Steve Borthwick’s side to face Italy

England take on Italy at Twickenham on Sunday looking to get their Six Nations back on track after a disappointing defeat to Scotland.

Following the announcement of their line-up on Thursday, Planet Rugby picks out the winners and losers as excitement builds for the weekend.

Winners

Ollie Lawrence the muscle man

Following last weekend’s lack of midfield punch, Steve Borthwick has attempted to address that by bringing the Bath man into the centre, where he will play alongside Owen Farrell and Henry Slade. Although England were loaded with forward carriers against Scotland they had little physicality behind the scrum, but the selection of Lawrence will help cure that problem.

The 23-year-old doesn’t play 12 for his club side but there is no doubt that he and Slade will alternate during the clash. Off first phase, Lawrence’s job will be varied, from battering ram to decoy and then a potential option in the wider channels, given his speed and footwork. Hopefully he won’t just be used to chase kicks which is what Eddie Jones had him doing in 2020 and 2021.

Faith shown in Henry Arundell

It is important to remember that the speedster has not played much professional rugby in his fledgling career. After shining for England’s U20 side 12 months ago, he was catapulted into the London Irish first team where he made an immediate impression. After a few standout games, Jones brought him into the England squad and, with his first touch at international level, the youngster scored a stunning try.

Injury then prevented Arundell from turning out for the Red Rose in the Autumn Nations Series, while he only made his return from injury in the Exiles’ Premiership victory over Harlequins on January 29. Despite that lack of game time and his inexperience, the 20-year-old is straight back into the Red Rose 23.

All things considered, he has had a remarkable trajectory, but it simply shows Arundell’s tremendous talent. There is no doubt that the London Irish player could be one of the best players of his generation and Borthwick simply had to get him involved in some capacity. Hopefully he gets more minutes than he did in Australia.

Jack Willis and Alex Dombrandt

Lewis Ludlam’s place was assured after his superb performance last Saturday but the other two back-row spots were up for grabs for the Italy clash. Ben Curry, who started at openside flanker against Scotland, was dropped from the wider squad earlier in the week, so Willis was his logical replacement. The former Wasps man, who signed for Toulouse following the Midlanders’ financial woes, will add breakdown expertise, as well as even more strength to that loose trio. He has also been used in the lineout at the French club, which is another facet that will benefit the Red Rose.

As for Dombrandt, the number eight is handed another chance to shine, despite an inauspicious performance against the Scots. He took some nice lines and made one significant turnover at the contact area, but the Harlequins player didn’t make the the type of impact he would have wanted. However, Borthwick has placed his trust in the 25-year-old and will expect him to deliver this time around.

Losers

Marcus Smith and his partnership with Owen Farrell

After one game, Borthwick has decided to do away with the partnership. There was always a feeling that Borthwick preferred Farrell to play alongside Slade, with Smith on the bench, but the Exeter man’s injury for the Six Nations opener forced a rethink. That meant going to the axis which Jones put his faith in, but Borthwick was evidently not impressed with what he saw against Scotland.

We felt it went well and deserved another shot, although it was obvious they needed a bit more ballast in the midfield. However, the head coach has decided to move the captain into his best position at fly-half and bring in Slade as the extra playmaker. It certainly gives them a bit more physicality both sides of the ball, but Smith is a special talent who excites both England fans and neutrals alike, so it is a shame to not see him starting on Sunday.

Smith on bench, on form, OK but please don't dismiss him as a maverick with a few tricks and change of pace. OF deserves a crack at 12 but at some stage pre WC Smith deserves a chance at 10 with the sort of centre partnership on display tomorrow. Delighted for Willis @thetimes

— Stuart Barnes (@SBarnesRugby) February 10, 2023

Impact-only Ben Earl

At the moment, Borthwick appears to see the Saracens livewire as just a replacement, with Willis coming straight into the XV from initially being outside of the squad. You can understand the head coach’s thinking, with Earl’s dynamism and pace ideal for when legs get weary later on in the game, but the 25-year-old won’t want it to continue that way.

He has been a star performer for the Londoners this season and will hope to do enough, both in training and on the field – when he gets his chance off the bench – to force his way into the starting line-up.

Earl is a very competitive animal and won’t necessarily enjoy being on the replacements, but at the moment it makes sense to start with Willis, while the other flanker, Ludlam, deserves another shot in the team. At some point, the former could move to blindside, allowing Earl to come into the XV and add greater mobility, but we like the make-up of Sunday’s back-row.

Manu Tuilagi no longer vital

When fit, the powerhouse centre was a guaranteed starter. With his mere presence, Tuilagi made England a much better side and that was evident in their run to the 2019 Rugby World Cup final. However, a few more injury setbacks later and the former Leicester Tigers star isn’t quite the same player.

He has played pretty well for Sale Sharks without particularly shining and, quite frankly, Lawrence deserves to feature ahead of him after a superb campaign for Bath. Is it the end of the road for Tuilagi? Certainly not, as those in front of him have to perform after being handed the opportunity, but it does signal a changing of the guard.

READ MORE: England: Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell partnership ditched as Henry Slade comes into the midfield