Steve Borthwick has once again pulled the trigger and rang the changes for England’s Six Nations clash against France at Allianz Stadium; here are our winners and losers from his selections.
Borthwick boldly backed the Curry twins as a combination against Ireland in round one in a loose trio with Ben Earl, but despite their success he has shaken things up.
Not only has the former Red Rose forward made changes in his pack but in his backs too as England finally look to get a victory over one of the top four-ranked teams in the world.
Without further ado, here are our winners and losers from the team selected to face France.
Winners
Fin Smith
After repeatedly knocking and knocking on the selection door, Borthwick has finally answered and given Fin Smith his opportunity in the starting XV, earning taking the white number 10 jersey for the first time.
It’s a richly deserved opportunity for the Northampton Saints star and the England boss has equipped Smith with all the tools to succeed in the backline with clubmates Alex Mitchell, Tommy Freeman and Ollie Sleightholme joining him in the starting XV.
The playmaking duties will not be solely his either as Marcus Smith starts at full-back, a ploy that worked rather well in the latter stages of the defeat to Ireland.
It’s never easy for a young fly-half to make the step up and immediately perform at the highest level but Fin has been eased into Test rugby. He does, however, face an almighty challenge this weekend against a France team that is probably the best kicking team in the world.
Marcus Smith
Staying on the topic of France’s outstanding long-kicking game, Marcus Smith’s deployment at full-back is clearly a sign of England combatting one of Les Bleus’ biggest strengths.
While Antoine Dupont, Damian Penaud and Thomas Ramos’ YouTube highlight reels are dominated with freakish skills that leave viewers in awe, arguably the French’s best asset in the backline is their kicking and ability to manipulate the back-field and force teams into errors whether that’d be running it back at Shaun Edwards-led defence or returning kicks poorly.
Ireland showed just how powerful an elite kicking game can cause all kinds of issues as it resulted in a challenging day at the office for Cadan Murley – more on him later – but Borthwick is privy to this and replaced the high bomb defuser Freddie Steward with tactical sound Smith.
Smith’s kicking game is wildly underrated and is certainly better than Steward’s and while this is another reactionary selection from Borthwick, it could be a game-changing one – an educated gamble.
Ollie Sleightholme
The second of the four Saints in the backline, Sleightholme takes Murley’s spot on the left wing having recovered from the niggle that saw him miss round one.
Sleightholme has been in stellar form for Northampton this season, building on a superb showing the campaign before. He faces off against one of the best wingers in the world in the form of Penaud and a strong showing against the fantastic Frenchman may well cement his place in the starting XV for the remainder of the Championship.
Wing is a highly competitive position for the British and Irish Lions but Sleightholme has all the tools in his box to be a bolter for Andy Farrell.
Tom Willis
Borthwick has overlooked the sterling form of Gloucester’s Zach Mercer in recent seasons but Tom Willis has not had that to happen to him with world-class performances for Saracens in the Premiership and Investec Champions Cup.
Willis has been all-action and simply box-office for his club and after a solid showing from the bench last week, he gets a deserved shot in the starting XV with Earl shifting to the side of the scrum.
The 26-year-old has the ideal chance to stake a claim for more starting minutes against a ferocious French pack and goes toe-to-toe with Les Bleus’ ever-present Gregory Alldritt.
Elliot Daly
Another Saracens man that has been pounding at the door and finally gets his opportunity. Elliot Daly was a mainstay in the England starting XV under Eddie Jones but has found selection harder to come by under Borthwick.
He did not feature at the Rugby World Cup but would play every Six Nations match last year before missing the tour to New Zealand and the Autumn Nations Series.
Versatility is a huge asset in modern international rugby particularly when coaches opt for a 6-2 split on the bench and Daly offers options at full-back, wing and centre not to forget his canon long-range boot.
Harry Randall
The Bristol Bears number nine did not cover himself in glory with his cameo off the bench against Ireland in round one but has been backed to turn things around against France this weekend.
With stiff competition at scrum-half including that of Bath captain Ben Spencer, Harry Randall should count himself lucky that he has Borthwick’s backing this weekend.
Losers
Freddie Steward
Borthwick has been rather brutal in the manner that he has dealt with Steward, regularly dropping him before recalling him.
Steward was the go-to selection in the number 15 jersey in the build-up to and during the World Cup before he was dropped for Marcus Smith for the quarter-final against Argentina only to return for the semi-final defeat to South Africa.
He starred at the start of the 2024 Six Nations before being axed for George Furbank and only got a look in on two more occasions last year, against the All Blacks and Springboks.
There was an understandable tactical reasoning for those selections and the same is true this week but that does not make it any less brutal for the Leicester Tigers man.
Ben Curry
Following the same lines but unlike Steward, Ben Curry still finds a place on the bench this weekend after a superb performance against Ireland.
He was fierce at the breakdown and made life difficult for the Irish attack while racking up a massive tackle count. He did the same off the bench against the All Blacks last November and didn’t get another look into the matchday 23.
Borthwick has not got the balance right with his bench and when to bring them on. Perhaps Curry could ease the team’s woes in the latter stages of the match but he would have relished the opportunity to start along with his brother again.
George Ford
England are spoilt for choice when it comes to the number 10 jersey which is highlighted by the fact that two of their top talents have been sandwiched into the starting line-up and there is still no space for the wily head of George Ford.
His performance in November were not up to the insanely high standard that he has set throughout his career and injuries have not helped his case either but considering England’s struggles, one cannot help but wonder if Ford could make a difference.
Theo Dan
The return of Jamie George has seen his young clubmate drop out of the matchday 23 entirely and frankly, Theo Dan was not deserving of that.
England’s woes in the latter stages of matches have in no way, shape or form been down to the performances of Dan particularly gets Ireland as he was comfortably one of the standout performers.
Unfortunately, George has the experience, leadership and class required at the highest level and when a team is desperate for results, a coach will always favour that – it matters in international rugby.
Ben Spencer
As alluded to above, Spencer is incredibly unfortunate not to crack the matchday 23. He has been in excellent form for Bath and provides Borthwick with a well-rounded, kicking and running option but the England boss is not convinced.
He is another player who has been in and out of the squad but has the quality to perform at the highest level and do so effectively.
Cadan Murley
Few Test debuts, if any, have the highs and lows than that of Murley who marked his introduction to international rugby with a first try.
However, it did not go all his way thereafter making crucial errors on defence and in the backfield, particularly behind his try line.
Still, one has to praise his reliance as he provided a wonderful assist to help England still come away with a losing bonus point from the Aviva Stadium.
To cap it all off, he is now unable to double his cap count with an injury ruling him out of this fixture against France. A whirlwind start to Test rugby but one he should be able to cope with having played his club rugby with Harlequins.
Tom Roebuck
Tom Roebuck has been a consistent performer for Sale Sharks this season and would have fancied his chances of earning a start in the opening game of the Six Nations having been involved with the squad in November while Sleightholme was sidelined.
But Murley was backed instead and now with the Harlequin ruled out, Roebuck has been snubbed again. He also misses out on a spot on the bench with Daly preferred.
Bevan Rodd
Staying with Sale’s stars, it is criminal that Bevan Rodd is turning out against Doncaster this weekend instead of running out in a white jersey against France.
Rodd has been England’s form loosehead prop in the Premiership this season and has taken his scrummaging to another level as he showed in the Champions Cup against the Stormers in particular as he caused Frans Malherbe all kinds of problems.
Fin Baxter and Ellis Genge are superb players but Rodd is making a strong case that judge Borthwick isn’t overly convinced about.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/england-team-v-france-winners-and-losers-as-brutal-freddie-steward-treatment-continues-while-steve-borthwicks-makes-an-educated-smith-gamble
