England name new Six Nations captain, include two uncapped players

England boss Steve Borthwick has named a new captain, included two uncapped players and handed the in-form Tom Willis a call-up for the upcoming Guinness Six Nations which starts away to champions Ireland in Dublin on February 1.

With 2024 skipper Jamie George coming under pressure for his spot in the starting team, Borthwick has given the captaincy to safer selection bet Maro Itoje – an intriguing development in a British and Irish Lions tour year.

He has also included two uncapped backs in his 36-strong squad, Harlequins duo Oscar Beard and Cadan Murley, while the excellent Saracens form of one-cap back-rower Willis has resulted in his recall.

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There are eight changes – four forwards, four backs – from the squad of 36 named by Borthwick 56 days ago on November 19, the Tuesday before the Autumn Nations Series-ending fixture at home to Japan in London.

In the pack, the fit-again Ollie Chessum, his Leicester teammate Joe Heyes, Sale’s Bevan Rodd and Saracens’ Willis have been picked at the expense of veteran Dan Cole, his fellow prop Trevor Davison, and injured pair Nick Isiekwe and Sam Underhill.

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Out the back, another injured duo, George Furbank and Luke Northmore, miss out with Alex Lozowski and Ben Spencer. The seasoned Elliot Daly, rookies Beard and Murley and the fit-again Alex Mitchell step in.

England will again stage their pre-tournament preparations in Girona from next week before arriving from Spain into Dublin a couple of days before their tournament opener against the Irish.

An RFU statement read: “England men’s head coach Steve Borthwick has named a 36-player training squad for the forthcoming 2025 Guinness Six Nations. Maro Itoje is named as the new captain, becoming the 136th player to hold the role since Frederick Stokes first led an England side in 1871. Itoje will be supported by vice-captains Ellis Genge and Jamie George.

“The 36-player squad – consisting of 20 forwards and 16 backs – will gather at the Honda England Rugby Performance Centre in Pennyhill next Tuesday (January 21) before flying to Girona to begin their preparations. There are two uncapped players named in the squad, Oscar Beard and Cadan Murley (both Harlequins).”

Borthwick said: “I have selected a squad where every player brings something unique to the group. The Six Nations is always a fiercely contested and exciting tournament, and this year will be no exception. We are looking forward to the squad coming together in Girona to kick off our preparations for the opening challenge against Ireland in Dublin.”

On the promotion of Itoje to skipper, the head coach added: “With 88 England caps, Maro has been a central figure in this squad for many years, bringing a vast amount of experience both on and off the field. He is a calm, influential leader, renowned for his commitment to upholding high standards and his ability to motivate those around him.

“His strong rapport with the squad and coaches, combined with his leadership experience at Saracens, makes him ideally placed to take on this responsibility. I would like to recognise the outstanding leadership of Jamie George, whose contributions as captain have been significant and will continue to play an important role as a vice-captain.”

Itoje said: “I’m incredibly humbled and honoured to have been asked by Steve to be England captain. It’s a truly incredible privilege for both me and my family, and I feel grateful to have been given this opportunity.

“With the role comes a great deal of responsibility, but I’m at a point in my career where I feel ready to give my all to serve the team and the fans with the captaincy, and also produce my best on the field.

“It’s reassuring to know there is a group of senior players to support me and help build on the achievements of Jamie, who has led the team brilliantly and who has been a great friend and leader for so many years.

“I am excited by the squad of players we have, who are all hungry for success, and I look forward to leading them out for the forthcoming Six Nations.”

England’s 36-player Guinness Six Nations squad
Forwards (20):
Fin Baxter (Harlequins, 6 caps)
Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 23 caps)
Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 7 caps)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 44 caps)
Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 11 caps)
Ben Curry (Sale Sharks, 6 caps)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 56 caps)
Theo Dan (Saracens, 16 caps)
Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 20 caps)
Ben Earl (Saracens, 37 caps)
Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 66 caps) – vice-captain
Jamie George (Saracens, 97 caps) – vice-captain
Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 7 caps)
Ted Hill (Bath Rugby, 2 caps)
Maro Itoje (Saracens, 88 caps) – captain
George Martin (Leicester Tigers, 19 caps)
Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks, 1 cap)
Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks, 7 caps)
Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 45 caps)
Tom Willis (Saracens, 1 cap)

Backs (16):
Oscar Beard (Harlequins, uncapped)
Elliot Daly (Saracens, 69 caps)
Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, 2 caps)
George Ford (Sale Sharks, 98 caps)
Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 15 caps)
Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby, 31 caps)
Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 18 caps)
Cadan Murley (Harlequins, uncapped)
Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, 11 caps)
Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks, 3 caps)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 69 caps)
Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints, 5 caps)
Fin Smith (Northampton Saints, 6 caps)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 39 caps)
Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 35 caps)
Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers, 16 caps)

• Rehabilitation: Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester Rugby), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs), George Furbank (Northampton Saints), Gabriel Ibitoye (Bristol Bears), Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), Luke Northmore (Harlequins), and Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby).

RATINGS: How the 31 capped England players rated across the four-game 2024 Autumn Nations Series, from Liam Heagney ???? #EnglandRugby #AutumnNationsSeries #rugby

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— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 27, 2024