Reassessing England’s backline depth chart following Nations Championship as Steve Borthwick gets ‘answers’ to ‘lingering questions’
Steve Borthwick (left) has a strong depth chart across the backline, with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (centre) and Fin Smith (right) among his key men
Following the conclusion of England’s Nations Championship campaign, Planet Rugby reassesses Steve Borthwick’s depth chart. Next up, it’s the backline.
The backs unit felt somewhat in a state of flux heading into the July Tests, given the widespread changes Borthwick made to his starting unit towards the end of the Six Nations. The upturn in performance, albeit without the result, against France seemed to put a number of previously fringe players in pole position heading into the Nations Championship, but there were still some lingering questions over the make-up of the group.
Benhard Janse van Rensburg’s eligibility was arguably the biggest talking point in the England squad, while there were still discussions around where to play Tommy Freeman as well, but all in all Borthwick opted for stability across the Nations Championship. Across the three Tests, Borthwick only made one change to his starting backline, with Cadan Murley’s injury seeing Henry Slade come back into the run-on group and Freeman push back out to the wing, with the likes of Fin Smith, Seb Atkinson, Marcus Smith, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Jack van Poortvliet all given extended runs. Noah Caluori also made his Test debut, with Borthwick shifting back to a 5:3 bench selection.
Given they all continued in the squad over the likes of previous stalwarts George Ford and Tom Roebuck, it feels like Borthwick now has the answers to those questions, which will certainly be reflected in the depth chart.
Here is our take on the key risers and fallers from the Nations Championship.
Full-back
With George Furbank suffering from appendicitis on the eve of their opener against the Boks and Freddie Steward also a doubt, Marcus Smith was handed the reins at 15, and arguably had his best run at full-back to date.
The Boks were always going to be a hard task, given he was thrown in at the 11th hour, but he recovered well against Fiji and improved further against Argentina. Crucially, that potentially sees him climb above Steward in the full-back pecking order. Smith’s climb up the ranks sees him slot in just behind new Harlequins teammate Furbank, who, despite missing yet another campaign with England, sits at the top of the order.
Elliot Daly missed the tour through injury, but should still be in the mix later this year, while George Hendy and Joe Carpenter will likely be in Borthwick’s mind as well.
6. Joe Carpenter –
5. George Hendy –
4. Elliot Daly –
3. Freddie Steward – DOWN
2. Marcus Smith – UP
1. George Furbank –
Wing
An ever-changing depth chart, but you feel a lot of players have climbed up the list this Nations Championship.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, despite missing the Six Nations, was probably at the top of the list heading into the campaign, and has only reinforced that with his performances in July. Most notably, he seems to have been given a slightly different role within the attack, potentially even a starring one at that, which suggests he could be one of their key weapons looking towards November. After slotting back onto the wing this campaign, Freeman also climbs back up the depth chart as a key starter.
Cadan Murley would have likely had more minutes this campaign if not for an injury against the Springboks, but his start at Ellis Park likely reflects his climb up the pecking order, while hotshot Caluori has also nudged up the list after a pleasing start to his Test career.
As a result, it seems Sale man Roebuck has been overtaken, reflected by the fact he missed out on the initial squad selection and only furthered by him not making an appearance upon his recall. It won’t be easy for him to get back up the list, either, with Freeman returning out wide and both him and Caluori offering real aerial threat, while the likes of Murley and Feyi-Waboso give England a completely different dynamic ball-in-hand.
Daly and Will Muir missed the tour through injury but will be in the discussion once fully fit, while Adam Radwan, Hendy and Ollie Hassell-Collins are also in the picture.
10. Ollie Hassell-Collins –
9. George Hendy –
8. Will Muir –
7. Elliot Daly –
6. Adam Radwan –
5. Tom Roebuck – DOWN
4. Noah Caluori – UP
3. Cadan Murley – UP
2. Tommy Freeman – UP
1. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso –
Outside centre
One of the big talking points heading into the Nations Championship, but it feels a lot more settled coming out of it.
Freeman was nestled neatly at the top of the chart heading into the campaign, and seemed to be the go-to man after starting against the Boks, but his shift back out wide and Henry Slade’s subsequent impressive performances against Fiji and Argentina suggest the Exeter man has climbed back up to number one. Slade’s work in attack more often takes the headlines, given his silky style of play, but he made himself one of England’s key defensive leaders across his outings and just seemed to give the midfield a bit more balance in the process.
The Northampton man is by no means out of the picture at 13, though.
Janse van Rensburg’s ability to cover both centre spots was a big tick in his box, both for the tour itself and also in his inclusion within the match-day squad, and he probably sits in third now as a result.
Ollie Lawrence’s omission from the training camps and touring squad suggest he has really slid down Borthwick’s pecking order at 13, and faces a tough task to get back given the performances of those above him, while Tom Litchfield is getting himself into contention after a big season with Northampton Saints.
5. Tom Litchfield –
4. Ollie Lawrence – DOWN
3. Benhard Janse van Rensburg – UP
2. Tommy Freeman – DOWN
1. Henry Slade – UP
Inside centre
Borthwick faced a big decision at 12 this summer, after previously chopping and changing in that position, but he stuck with Seb Atkinson, and it paid off.
The Gloucester man easily enjoyed his best run of Tests in an England shirt this campaign, and crucially grew as the Nations Championship went on. He also seemed to form a really nice connection with the likes of Slade, F. Smith and even M. Smith in attack, which again shows real potential moving forward. He is very much at the top of the depth chart looking towards November, and could easily be England’s long-term answer at 12.
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Janse van Rensburg also sees himself climb up the depth chart after a promising start to life at Test level, and probably sits in second place now after making the match-day squad over Max Ojomoh. The Bath man did earn his way back into the touring squad, and remains in third place in the chart.
Elsewhere, Fraser Dingwall’s omission from the 36-man squad suggests he has slipped down the pecking order.
4. Fraser Dingwall – DOWN
3. Max Ojomoh –
2. Benhard Janse van Rensburg – UP
1. Seb Atkinson –
Fly-half
Potentially no movement within the chart, but Fin Smith certainly strengthened his position at the top of the depth chart during the Nations Championship. England’s attack might not be built around him, but he had complete control of it with his desire to play ball-in-hand rugby and that put him in a really good light come the end of the campaign. His growing combination with Atkinson also seems to bring the best out of both of them, which bodes well moving towards November.
Underneath him, though, it still feels like George Ford is the second-choice fly-half with M. Smith viewed more as that utility option, but it does feel like it’s the Northampton man’s shirt for the foreseeable future.
Billy Searle also pushed his name up the pecking order with a strong season at Leicester Tigers.
4. Billy Searle –
3. Marcus Smith –
2. George Ford –
1. Fin Smith –
Scrum-half
While fly-half remained pretty stable this Nations Championship, scrum-half saw plenty of movement from where it was pre-July.
Jack van Poortvliet was handed a rare chance to start, and he seemed to really grab his chance. The Leicester man was among many to improve as the campaign went along, combining really well with F. Smith in a nice playmaking axis and giving England a real threat around the fringes of the breakdown. His getting the nod over Alex Mitchell in two Tests and then Ben Spencer in the finale suggests he is now England’s number one number nine.
The fitness of both Mitchell and Spencer could easily have played a factor in that, though. The Northampton ace had only just returned from a hamstring injury in the PREM final and was still getting back up to full fitness before picking up another similar blow before Los Pumas, while Spencer was also a concern pre-tour with a shoulder issue and, if not for Archie McParland’s own injury picked up in the aforementioned final, would have likely spent the summer at home. They do slide down the depth chart, but they will be right in the mix for big roles come November.
Mitchell’s injury opened the door for Raffi Quirke to come back into the senior squad, while Harry Randall also spent time with the group ahead of the tour. Charlie Bracken also remains in the frame after a good season with Saracens.
McParland’s injury meant he was not taken on tour, but his form across the season with the Saints has put him firmly in the conversation too.
7. Charlie Bracken –
6. Harry Randall –
5. Raffi Quirke – UP
4. Archie McParland – UP
3. Ben Spencer – DOWN
2. Alex Mitchell – DOWN
1. Jack van Poortvliet – UP
