England XV team: Winners and losers as key returnee ‘sends shudders down Galthie’s spine’ while Lions trainee snubbed
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (left) and Asher Opoku-Fordjour (right) in England training
Following Steve Borthwick’s England XV selection to take on France XV at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, here are our key winners and losers.
Winners
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
He’s back! Exeter winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso will make his long-awaited return to the pitch this weekend after overcoming a dislocated shoulder sustained back in December, and it should send shudders down Fabien Galthie’s spine. The 22-year-old has excelled on the Test stage since his debut in last year’s Six Nations, and quickly established himself as a key man in this attack. This will also be the first time we see him in the new-look England attack, too, which should bring the best out of him as they will look to utilise him in space.
Henry Slade
Experienced centre Henry Slade is another Chiefs star returning to Borthwick’s side this weekend, but he comes into the game with a massive point to prove. Slade was rather unceremoniously axed from the side during the Six Nations, with Fraser Dingwall coming in instead, but this is a great chance for him to prove exactly why he has 72 caps to his name at the time of writing. The Exeter man is a proper Rolls-Royce in full flow, and if he can recapture that form against France, then he will undoubtedly start on the summer tour.
Co-captains
Experienced duo Jamie George and George Ford have been named as co-captains for this weekend’s match, and it’s a fitting touch for two icons of the English game. Both men have been proper servants to the jersey in their respective Test careers, and their involvement this summer will only add to their legacy. For hooker George, this is also a nice marker after his was dramatically stripped of the duties in the Six Nations in favor of Maro Itoje, while Ford has also long been seen as a possible candidate to lead the national side and he will finally get that chance this weekend.
Steve Borthwick backs ‘excited’ Immanuel Feyi-Waboso after injury hell
Ben Spencer
It’s been tough going for Ben Spencer at Test level, and while this isn’t a capped game, it’s certainly a sign things could be about to change on that front. The Bath man has been in remarkable touch this season in Blue, Black and White as he helped propel his side to the title, but has also shown he is arguably the best scrum-half in Europe in that time, let alone England. In another world, he could have 50+ caps and be a staple of this side, but him being handed the starting shirt again after being dropped in November is a sign he could be set to return to the fold.
Uncapped quintet
Again, they aren’t winning their first senior caps, but this is a great chance for the uncapped men to prove they have Test match minerals. Joe Carpenter, Seb Atkinson, Guy Pepper, Jack Kenningham and Oscar Beard have all impressed in the Premiership this campaign, and hopes remain that they could be the next players to become key men for Borthwick. The strength of the rest of the squad also shows this isn’t just a sympathy appearance, it’s a proper sign of where they sit heading into the July tour.
Ted Hill
Like fellow Bath man Spencer, Hill has had to bide his time when it comes to Test rugby. The back-rower has all the hallmarks of a true Test great, given his athleticism and all-round quality, but has only been afforded brief cameos off the bench under Borthwick in recent times. Again, this inclusion from the off again indicates where he currently sits in the pecking order heading into the summer Tests, and if he puts on a show, he could nail down that spot.
Trevor Davison
Northampton Saints prop Trevor Davison has also been a touch unlucky not to have more Test caps to his name, but this game is a great chance to prove he has what it takes. Tighthead is a very open spot right now, given Stuart’s away with the Lions, so if he has a good game, he could very easily see himself propelled into the side for the Americas tour.
Raffi Quirke
After he burst onto the scene in 2022, who would have thought we’d have to wait this long to see him back in a white jersey running out at HQ? At just 23, Sale’s Raffi Quirke still remains a really exciting prospect within this England side and has already proved he can perform at this level too. He also has all the hallmarks of a Borthwick nine, and should form a nice synergy with Spencer too coming off the bench. It’s so pleasing to see him back in the mix.
Alex Dombrandt
His pre-Six Nations injury meant he fell behind the likes of Tom Willis and Ben Earl in the battle for the number eight shirt, but he now has a great chance to climb back up the pecking order this summer. Dombrandt’s inclusion in this 23-man side points to Borthwick viewing him as a key figure within the wider pack unit still, and this new-look England attack could bring the very best out of him.
Steve Borthwick
Even with this being an uncapped game and without 14 of his key men, this is still a crazy-strong side. His selection of a 6:2 bench indicates this is very much a selection to gear up to face Los Pumas, but is still getting to trial new combinations and players without the pressure that comes with any England Test. He has also got a lot of players in really good form coming into this game, notably the Bath men who are fresh from a title win a week ago, while then having an understanding of the rest through the various training camps too.
Losers
Asher Opoku-Fordjour
He might have been with the Lions last week, but Sale star Asher Opoku-Fordjour misses out on selection this time around. It could also be down to him missing a lot of the camp due to his Lions commitments, but this does feel like a harsh omission given his form for the Sharks in the Prem. You’d still expect him to feature in the upcoming Tests next month, either from the start or off the bench, though.
Freddie Steward
The omission of Freddie Steward is a really interesting one. On the face of it, it could just be Borthwick giving him a bit of extra rest while rewarding Joe Carpenter for his own form too, but yet Steward has again found himself overlooked in this England side. Be it for George Furbank or Marcus Smith, Steward has been the bridesmaid and not the bride in recent outings, despite his strong displays for Leicester. Again, this could simply just be a week off and he will likely start against Los Pumas in that opening Test.
Will Muir
While the return of Feyi-Waboso and the selection of Tom Roebuck make perfect sense, Will Muir can feel slightly hard done by to miss out. The Bath back has really stepped his game up this season, in almost every aspect, and this could have been a really good time to give him a run out and see what he can do in the main England system. Like Steward, though, this could be merely a week off for him with a view to deploy him in the summer tour.
Cadan Murley
Again, wing was a very stong area and this time around Cadan Murley has missed out on selection. The one-capper has been in red-hot form of late since returning from injury though, and would have added a fresh dynamic to this side if given the nod, but it’s always tough to usurp Feyi-Waboso in the team and Roebuck also deserves a start after his impressive performance against Wales at the end of the Six Nations on top of his form for Sale too.
Luke Northmore
Centre was a pretty competitive spot in this XV side, with Atkinson, Slade and Beard also in the mix, and unfortunately, Luke Northmore is the one to miss out on the side. The Quins man has been in impressive form once again this campaign, and will liekly tour this summer too, but will just have to bide his time again on the sidelines.
Max Ojomoh
Could almost copy and paste in here. Ojomoh has been super impressive for Bath in this latter stage of the Premiership season and will no doubt feature in some aspect this summer, but for now he will just have to wait. This game has also possibly come too soon after the final, and he could just be rested.
Arthur Clark
This could have been a really good chance for Arthur Clark to lay down a Test marker heading into the summer tour, but he has been overlooked in favour of Nick Isiekwe and Alex Coles in the starting side, while Chandler Cunningham-South’s versatility also makes him a great bench option too. Clark has been in decent touch this year, and could still get the nod for the tour, but he would have wanted to make the 23 for this one.
READ MORE: Immanuel Feyi-Waboso makes along awaited return as experienced duo co-captain England XV
