by Drowned in 13s, tin of 12s; but as much as this Six Nations is a line in the sand and an opportunity for Steve Borthwick to reset England, he faces familiar challenges.
Eddie Jones sometimes looked like he was on a mission to pack as many outside centers as possible into a back line. His personal best was four, achieved in 2020 by deploying Jonathan Joseph on the wing and pairing Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence in midfield in front of Elliot Daly at full-back.
Of course, balance is the key factor in selection. Like his predecessor, Borthwick repeatedly advocates “positional flexibility”. Many argue that we are too caught up in shirt numbers. However, England’s 36-man Six Nations squad put up an unusual statistic in terms of home game time.
Six members (Slade, Oscar Beard, Fraser Dingwall, Tommy Freeman, Lawrence and Daly) have made 33 Premier League starts in the outfield this season. The corresponding figure at the center of the interior is three respectable fronts, all courtesy of the versatile Inverness. Borthwick was clearly happy to highlight this midfield predicament at his latest press conference. It was telling that Manu Tuilagi, now 32 and recovering from another groin issue, was the second possible inside center to be mentioned.
“Fraser is there, Manu will be fit and hopefully he will play a big part in the middle of the second half [Six Nations],” Borthwick said of his options at 12. “Ollie Lawrence can play 12 and 13. Sladey has the ability to attack and defend in different ways.”
Without pause, the upcoming prospects were listed. Borthwick must plot the road to 2027 while ensuring England maintain momentum – and goodwill – with good results. In order to protect the national side in the future, appearances in the Premiership must be given to young people.
“I think Max Ojomoh is a very good player who has a lot of potential,” he said. “I spoke to Max yesterday and I was with him last week. He will be in and around the England squad if he keeps the trajectory he is on.
“But I want to play it and, unfortunately, them [Bath] playing Scottish center at 12 too often. I have mentioned Lennox [Anwanyu]; I think he is a good player. But they [Harlequins] center in South Africa at 12.
“Sale has Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, who came through the pathway system and I think he has huge potential. I could talk about other people. The big thing is that I want the players to play.
“The biggest thing for player development is to play as many minutes as possible – get on the pitch and be in some situations. I believe we have the players there. We want to play them.”
Borthwick admitted that the reduction in Premiership clubs, from 13 to 10, has followed a standard of concentration. It also limited chances, with the England head coach often stressing how Cameron Redpath and André Esterhuizen are the front-runners within Bath and Harlequins, respectively, and that potential England internationals have been hampered as a result. on that.
Nick Tompkins, a former England age-grade representative like Redpath, is Saracens’ number 12. He now has 32 Wales caps, having been picked by Wayne Pivac four years ago. Benhard Janse van Rensburg, the well-travelled South African who will qualify for England residency in 2026, was predictably important for Bristol.
Rory Hutchinson, back in Scotland’s plans after shining for Northampton Saints, is another center inside that Borthwick cannot pick. Joe Hawkins and Solomone Kata are in the same category, taking Leicester Tigers’ Dan Kelly to 13. Kelly, incidentally, will qualify for Ireland this summer if he does not add to his single England cap or feature for England A against Portugal in February.
Gloucester’s Seb Atkinson and Sale Sharks’ Sam Below were both prominent, neither impressing Borthwick enough to earn a call-up. Olly Hartley has strength and dynamism. However, following Tom Hendrickson’s mid-season move from Exeter Chiefs to Japan, just over half of the Premier League’s starts this season (57) have been made by players who are not eligible for England. Borthwick will know that seasoned test stars from overseas often outshine greener club peers. His new England captain, Jamie George, served his Saracens apprenticeship under Schalk Brits, for example. For now, though, Borthwick is improvising in midfield a bit.
Inverness is in exceptional form, the only possible indoor venue. He swaps channels when paired with Hutchinson for Northampton. Will Greenwood hailed Indreavan as “the best midfielder of the lot”, praising the 24-year-old’s poise and poise. If Slade and Lawrence are selected together to face Italy, they will be a volatile partnership. Slade performed strongly for Exeter, knocking Glasgow Warriors out of the first round last weekend. He is also the type of playmaker who can give Lawrence more space, as Redpath and Finn Russell did for Bath.
“I see a guy who has power and pace and can distribute,” Borthwick told Lawrence on Wednesday. “His ability to go on that outside break in channel 13 is excellent. I think he has the potential to be one of the best.” Regardless of shirt number, getting the best out of Lawrence is clearly a priority.
