Fin Baxter OUT! Ranking five England loosehead options as Steve Borthwick to ‘stress-test’ depth chart in Nations Championship
Fin Baxter (right) will miss the Nations Championship Tests after undergoing another operation
England have suffered yet another injury blow in the front-row ahead of July’s Nations Championship Tests, with Fin Baxter ruled out.
The Harlequins loosehead, who also missed the Six Nations, was scheduled to be back later this month following an operation on his foot; however, England boss Steve Borthwick revealed the prop has since undergone a second operation that will rule him out of the three Tests this summer.
“Fin Baxter has had to have another surgery on his foot,” he told BBC Sport’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast. “So he won’t be available this summer.”
His is the latest injury concern in the England front-row heading towards July, with tighthead duo Will Stuart and Trevor Davison also ruled out of the Tests with respective Achilles and knee issues, while fellow loosehead Bevan Rodd is also set to miss out after dislocating his shoulder in April.
But, with Baxter now set to miss the summer tour, that again throws up a headache for Borthwick as he needs to again look further down his depth chart at loosehead.
With that in mind, here are the leading options he could now turn to this July.
Test starter: Ellis Genge
There is no doubt that Ellis Genge will be England’s number one number one this July, and will again be looking to showcase why he is such a key part of this squad.
The set-piece has become a major weapon within England’s attack in the past year, and was one of their true bright sparks in the Six Nations as well, and Genge was very much at the forefront of that effort.
It wasn’t outright brutality come the engage like the Springboks have become known for, but it was meticulously planned and designed around him going at just the right time when a crack appeared, and he took every chance he could to dismantle opposition tightheads. That is also backed up with some marauding efforts in the loose, too.
Crucially, he is also among the key leaders within Borthwick’s group, serving as one of the vice-captains and previously leading the team out too, and that will be so valuable considering they could be without a number of their generals this tour.
Like many of his Test colleagues, Genge will be keen to put the Six Nations behind him quickly, and some big performances in July would go a long way to doing that.
In the mix: Emmanuel Iyogun, Beno Obano
While Genge is likely leading the push to start, the battle for his deputy seems to be between Emmanuel Iyogun and Beno Obano, following their inclusions in the wider alignment camp.
Neither of them have had it easy at Test level to date, with Iyogun yet to win his first senior cap despite several involvements in the squad and Obano sitting on only four caps and not featuring for England since 2024, but this is a big chance for them to get back into the side.
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With Baxter and Rodd out of the picture, Borthwick will be keen to stress-test his wider depth chart this July against some genuinely frightening oppositions, and if either of these two can perform they could lock a spot in for 2027.
Both players also fit the bill of what Borthwick and scrum coach Tom Harrison want from their looseheads, too, with them both very attack-minded in the scrum and keen to get involved around the park as well, and would do a good job if called upon.
It’ll be interesting to see who ends up taking the shirt.
Outside bet: Asher Opoku-Fordjour
While all of his senior Test caps have come at tighthead, Asher Opoku-Fordjour’s ability to play loosehead might see him shifted over this summer.
The Sale forward featured at loosehead for the England U20s side that romped to Six Nations and Junior World Cup glory a couple of year’s ago, featuring in a strong front-row alongside Afo Fasogbon, and has also been tested out here for the Sharks in recent weeks, too.
His attacking style in the scrum is also very well suited to the loosehead role, and potentially has even made him a better tighthead as well, and is exactly what Borthwick and Harrison want.
The lingering injury issues at tighthead mean this is less likely to happen, but it wouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to see him at loosehead at some point in July, either.
Bolter: Archie van der Flier
It’s potentially a bold call, considering he’s only just become a regular in the Leicester Tigers squad, but Archie van der Flier has really hit his straps in recent weeks.
The 24-year-old prop has a decent chunk of senior experience behind him now, which is a rarity for a prop his age it has to be said, and has potentially been battle-hardened as a result. A call-up to the squad is also a brilliant way to help further his development and allow Borthwick to just extend the depth chart that little bit further ahead of a huge 18 months looking towards the World Cup.
