The Six Nations is right around the corner now, with less than a month to go until the opening game between France and Wales, but Steve Borthwick still has plenty to ponder ahead of the Championship.
England come into the Six Nations in a slightly strange position following the Autumn Nations Series. They fell to three defeats from their four Tests – all coming against Tier One nations – but yet they did have some positive moments in each of the games and could easily have gotten over the line against New Zealand and Australia if things had panned out differently.
But, there’s no point looking at what could have been, and England head into 2025 in desperate need of some results if they want to change the narrative of the ‘brave loser’.
As always, Borthwick faces some huge selection calls in the coming days – as he is set to announce his squad for the Championship on Tuesday (January 14) – and here we run down the key headaches facing the England boss.
What to do with Marcus Smith
There’s no doubt that Harlequins wizard Marcus Smith was one of England’s best players during the autumn, but the question remains whether it would suit the team better to have him at 10 or 15.
The big question looming over Smith, for all his individual brilliance, is if he can fully lead a team at Test level, and whilst he has taken games by the scruff of the neck with his own moments of magic there is evidence to suggest England run better with someone else at 10.
Fin Smith’s cameo off the bench against Japan arguably got England playing their most connected and fluid attack of the whole autumn, and he was only on for 20 minutes, but crucially he combined well with the Quins star in the back-field and got England playing that more expansive style Borthwick clearly wants.
Marcus also seemed to flourish at 15 then too, as he was deployed slightly wider and deeper which gave him that bit of extra broken field he cherishes.
With George Furbank likely out of the early stages of the Championship, there is a vacancy at 15 that Borthwick needs to fill, and giving the Saint that jersey could be a masterstroke to get the best out of his side.
But again, Marcus Smith is such a talented fly-half, and has still yet to be fully trusted at the wheel. Against New Zealand, when he was tearing the All Blacks apart, Borthwick dragged him off kicking and screaming. He did get the full 80 at 10 against the Springboks, but England deployed a different style of attack which didn’t quite suit him.
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Wherever he plays this Six Nations, he will be a threat, but Borthwick needs to decide if he will finally fully back him at 10 and let him put his stamp on the attack or if he brings in another 10 and shifts him back to 15.
Stick or twist
Whilst Borthwick has said he was mostly happy with the level of performance, something clearly needs to change if they want to turn these into wins, and that presents a huge selection decision.
After opting to use tried and tested combinations at the World Cup, Borthwick was finally afforded the chance to blood in his own squad in 2024, but it could again be time to turn to a new crop of players to change results.
So, does he stick with his squad and trust them to get the job done? Or, does he twist and bring in some genuine form players who could be the ticket to getting wins. It’s a big call, but situations like the one England are in call for exactly these.
Back-row bonanza
One area England are blessed with right now is the back-row, and that’s not even with the best of the lot (Jack Willis) eligible for selection, and Borthwick could be about to leave some very talented options at home this Six Nations.
Tom Willis – who was omitted from the autumn squad – is probably the man commanding a spot the most right now, but if he came in at eight it would then likely push Ben Earl either to openside or even onto the bench.
But, that could then displace the likes of Tom Curry, Sam Underhill – two of Borthwick’s most trusted men – and lead to yet another reshuffle.
Around that too, Ethan Roots, Ben Curry and Ted Hill have really hit a purple patch in recent weeks, Chandler Cunningham-South isn’t in his best form but is a serious athlete and looks to be turning into a Test match animal and even around that Ollie Chessum – who Borthwick likes at six – is set to be fit for the Six Nations.
Alfie Barbeary, Tom Pearson and Fitz Harding have also peaked at the perfect time, and could be great options for the Six Nations.
It’ll be really interesting to see what options Borthwick picks in the back-row, but no matter who he selects there will be some brilliant players left kicking their heels.
Youth?
England are also producing some serious youth talent, and this Six Nations could be an excellent time to bring them into the England picture.
Asher Opoku-Fordjour has already won his maiden Test cap, impressing off the bench against Japan, but around that too Henry Pollock is showing he could be a great asset at Test level. The Northampton man has seriously impressed in his breakthrough campaign, and it is understood he was called into the England alignment camps earlier this week.
Around this too, Billy Sela is a developing tighthead and would greatly benefit from time in the England set-up.
Midfield conundrum
12 and 13 are two positions with big question marks over them ahead of the Six Nations, and Borthwick could look to test out some new combinations in this area.
Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence have been Borthwick’s go-to combination when both are fit and firing, but the autumn probably exposed the fact they don’t work well as a combination.
One thing that is known about the England boss is he really likes to have a smash-and-bash 12, which is why he uses Lawrence there, but this season plenty of players have pushed through and shown they could do this well if afforded the chance. Lennox Anyanwu and Luke Northmore have both excelled in this role for Quins when called upon. At Bath, Max Ojomoh and Will Butt have also shown they can add serious punch and speed to a midfield, whilst also acting as a second distributor too.
If Borthwick wants to go away from his usual type of 12, you would imagine Fraser Dingwall would be putting his hand right up for selection. After returning from injury, the Northampton man has been in blistering form, and his excellent captaincy of the England A side would have done him the world of good as well.
13 is also a big headache too, and again there are a number of men pushing to take that jersey. Oscar Beard has improved with every game this season, and could be a great addition to the side, Alex Lozowski is hitting top stride once again and Tommy Freeman is also an option, but that would then leave a spot open on the wing.
The midfield make-up will be pivotal this Six Nations, so Borthwick needs to make the right decision with who he picks.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/england-five-selection-headaches-facing-steve-borthwick-ahead-of-crucial-six-nations-campaign
