England team winners and losers: Steve Borthwick persists with rugby’s ‘Gerrard-Lampard’ dilemma but backs ‘complete package’
From left to right: Ollie Lawrence, Henry Slade, Cadan Murley
Following England’s team announcement for their Six Nations opener against Ireland, Planet Rugby assesses the key winners and losers from Steve Borthwick’s selection.
Winners?
Cadan Murley
The big winner by far is Cadan Murley, as the Harlequins winger earns a deserved debut. Murley has been in electric form since returning from injury, with 10 tries in his 12 outings this season (including his two for England A), but he has a real chance to prove why many have touted him for Test honours in the past.
For a while now, England have lacked a winger with genuinely devastating pace – like Louis Rees-Zammit speed – but they now have that in Murley. Like the Superhero ‘ The Flash’, he just has this ridiculous ability to teleport up the pitch in the blink of an eye, but he packs serious size and power alongside this too.
He is arguably the complete package out wide, and there’s no reason he won’t excel at Test level.?Murley’s exceptional form raises the question: can his inclusion shift the odds in England’s favor against Ireland? Currently, the?best betting sites favour Ireland?against England, the two-time defending champions, to secure another victory in the upcoming Six Nations Championship.
Curry squared
Their selection has certainly raised a few eyebrows, but Curry squared could be a serious point-of-difference against Ireland. Ben, who will be deployed in his favoured number seven shirt this weekend, is in exceptional touch for Sale at the minute, and if you were picking this squad on form alone he would potentially be the first name on the teamsheet.
Whilst Tom has had his injury troubles this year, he is a serious performer at Test level and you’d think he will return to these heights this Six Nations.
Crucially, they are also both clearly selected to be threats around the breakdown, which could stifle Jamison Gibson-Park.
Joe Heyes
The omission of Dan Cole clearly left a spot open at tighthead, and it seems Borthwick thinks Cole’s Leicester teammate Joe Heyes is the man to fill it.
Heyes, who has seven caps to his name, hasn’t fully established himself at Test level, but has steadily improved this year for the Tigers and will add some solidity to the set-piece. He will also need to perform to his absolute best when deployed from the bench, with Sale young gun Asher Opoku-Fordjour breathing down his neck for a spot.
Luke Cowan-Dickie
Sale Sharks man Luke Cowan-Dickie is back starting for England, and you can’t say he doesn’t deserve his place. He has been in great form for his club side this season, and looks to be returning to the player he was around 2020/21 when he was picked as the Lions starter.
The former Exeter hooker is such a physical player in the tight, and will add another powerful carrier to their pack that they need.
Alex Mitchell
A week ago, it was a doubt he would even make the Test, but yet Alex Mitchell has been deemed fit enough to start against Ireland this weekend.
Mitchell has made that England number nine shirt his own since the World Cup – a tournament he was initially dropped for – and his absence in the autumn was very evident. He just brings so much tempo and fizz to the attack, both around the ruck with his sniping but also with his distribution. Crucially, he and Marcus Smith seem to want to play a similar game, which should then bring the Quins playmaker.
Marcus Smith
The big call around Smith this Championship was if he would play fly-half or full-back, and it seems Borthwick wants him to act as his playmaker-in-chief at 10.
Whilst it might seem weird to put a fly-half being selected at fly-half down as a win, but all the talk about M. Smith ahead of this was if he would actually play 15; but it seems the Quins man will?FINALLY?be given the reins to run the attack his way, which could bring the best out of both him and the rest of the squad.
That’s not saying he won’t play 15 this Championship, and the selection of Fin Smith on the bench shows it’s even an option against Ireland later on, but the Quins ace has got his desired outcome.
Freddie Steward
Another winner from the Marcus Smith selection is actually Freddie Steward, who returns to the starting XV. Whilst his last two Tests haven’t quite gone to plan, the back has been in sparkling form for Leicester in recent weeks, with his attacking game really coming to the fore.?That shift should please Borthwick no end, as that’s exactly what he wants out of his number 15 – hence the Marcus Smith positional switch chatter.
Crucially, he has also been handed a golden opportunity to make his case for a permanent return to the jersey in the absence of George Furbank.
Ollie Chessum
A welcome return to the Test side for Ollie Chessum, who is deemed fit enough for a spot on the bench this weekend. The Leicester man never seems to have a bad game for both club and country, and his tireless work around the pitch could help England out massively in those clutch minutes at the end.?He also provides some nice versatility too, as he can play both lock and flanker.
Nice to see him back in the mix.
Tom Willis
Whilst people will still be crying out for him to be in the starting XV, the red-hot Saracen earns a deserving Test recall. He has simply been, hands down, the best back-rower in the Premiership this season and there is no doubt he will come on and make an impact.
Other than Ben Earl and Chandler Cunningham-South, England have lacked a consistent ball-carrier in the tight, but Willis will surely plug this gap with his desire to consistently get his team through the gain line. If he has a good game too, he will put himself right in the mix for a start against France in round two.
Henry Slade/Ollie Lawrence combination
Last chance saloon for this combination, you feel.
It’s an incredibly harsh take given the quality of the players; but like England football fans will know from the days of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, good individuals sometimes don’t make good combinations.
In whatever guise this partnership forms up in, it just doesn’t work, at all. Both men are out-and-out 13s, even if Slade is playing a touch of fly-half for Exeter at the minute, and trying to get them to adapt to the demands of 12 is proving tough.
But, if they can get it right, it could be magical. But, this does feel like a do-or-die moment for the pairing.
Losers?
Sale Sharks props
Whilst Heyes and Fin Baxter are fine options from the bench, the way Sale Sharks props Bevan Rodd and Opoku-Fordjour are scrummaging they can feel incredibly hard done by to miss out on selection. The duo seem to have really clicked with Cowan-Dickie in this department – which again makes their omission baffling – and would have given that scrum stability England have lacked in the final minutes over the past year.
Ted Hill
In an alternative universe, Ted Hill already has 30+ caps, but yet he?still?continues to find himself left out of the squad. The Bath man is in brilliant form at the minute, and would add another serious workhorse to the pack if he was given the nod this weekend.
He also adds that versatility you need from a 6:2 split, and would have added a nice line-out option too.
Tom Roebuck
Another Sale man harshly omitted from the squad, Tom Roebuck once again finds himself watching from the sidelines. Whilst Murley is in sparkling form, Roebuck hasn’t been far behind in terms of his own performances and would have given Borthwick that aerial prowess he longs for.
But, you feel he is likely the victim of the 6:2 split on the bench.
Fraser Dingwall
England fans have been crying out for some change in the midfield, and Fraser Dingwall would certainly have brought that if selected. The Northampton man is a lot more comfortable at 12 than either Lawrence or Slade, given he regularly plays there for the Saints, but has also done a decent job there for England.
You feel he will get a shot this Championship though, so it’s just a case of remaining patient.
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