1
George Furbank starts for axed Steward as England make five changes
Freddie Steward has been dropped by England boss Steve Borthwick for the second time in six games. The full-back was originally axed for last October’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final win over Fiji in Marseille, the No15 shirt being worn instead by Marcus Smith.
ADVERTISEMENT
Steward bounced back to retake the jersey from the injured Smith for the following weekend’s semi-final against South Africa.
However, despite impressing with his aerial game in the recent Guinness Six Nations win over Wales at Twickenham, he has now been omitted from the match day 23 for this Saturday’s round three game away to Scotland.
The surprise naming of the 27-year-old George Furbank as the starting full-back for his first cap since 2022 is one of five changes to the starting line-up despite England going two wins from two in the opening rounds of the Six Nations for the first time since 2019.
Their recent 16-14 victory over Wales was the first time since the World Cup five years ago in Japan that England had fielded an unchanged team from one match to the next.
However, having shown faith in his starting XV at the start of the current championship moving from Rome to London, the Borthwick outlook is now very different heading to Edinburgh.
Aside from including Furbank at No15 for just his seventh Test cap, a decision that was purely a selection call and not because of an injury to Steward, Borthwick has also named the fit-again Ollie Lawrence rather than Manu Tuilagi as the starting inside centre.
ADVERTISEMENT
Fraser Dingwall, a try-scorer versus the Welsh, drops out while the knee injury to Alex Mitchell has seen his place as the starting scrum-half given to the promoted Danny Care.
In the pack, the two changes to the starting line-up are at prop where Ellis Genge and Dan Cole are promoted from the bench to start in place of Joe Marler and Will Stuart, who will both act as replacements at BT Murrayfield.
Two fresh reserves, other than Marler and Stuart, are the fit-again George Martin, who takes over from Alex Coles, while the promoted Care’s spot is taken by Ben Spencer.
Borthwick said in an RFU team announcement statement: “We are pleased with the start we have made to our Guinness Six Nations campaign but know that a difficult test awaits us in Edinburgh against an in-form Scotland team.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The atmosphere is always special for any Calcutta Cup match and I’m sure this weekend’s game at Murrayfield will be no different. This group of players are looking forward to the challenge on Saturday and to creating some very special memories.”
Scotland earlier named a team with three changes from their round two loss to France. Blair Kinghorn and Kyle Steyn were included at full-back and right wing respectively in place of Harry Paterson and Kyle Rowe, while Jamie Ritchie was recalled in place of Matt Fagerson at blindside.
England (vs Scotland, Saturday)
15. George Furbank (Northampton Saints, 6 caps)
14. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 5 caps)
13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 59 caps)
12. Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby, 21 caps)
11. Elliot Daly (Saracens, 66 caps)
10. George Ford (Sale Sharks, 93 caps) – vice-captain
9. Danny Care (Harlequins, 98 caps)
1. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 59 caps) – vice-captain
2. Jamie George (Saracens, 87 caps) – captain
3. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 109 caps)
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 78 caps) – vice-captain
5. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 20 caps)
6. Ethan Roots (Exeter Chiefs, 2 caps)
7. Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 32 caps)
8. Ben Earl (Saracens, 27 caps)
Replacements:
16. Theo Dan (Saracens, 9 caps)
17. Joe Marler (Harlequins, 90 caps)
18. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 35 caps)
19. George Martin (Leicester Tigers, 9 caps)
20. Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 2 caps)
21. Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby, 4 caps)
22. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints, 1 cap)
23. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs, 1 cap)
Comments on RugbyPass
Musk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
1 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
2 Go to commentsIt is crystal clear that people who make such threats on line should be tried and imprisoned. Those with responsibility in social media companies who don’t facilitate this should be convicted. In real life, I have free speech to approach someone like Reinach and verbally threaten him. I am risking a conviction or a slap but I could do it. In the old days, If someone anonymously threatened someone by letter the police would ask and use evidence from the postal system. Unlike the Post, social media companies have complete instant and legal access to the content in social media. They make money from the data, billions. Yet, they turn a blind eye to terrorism, Nazi-ism and industrial levels of threats against individuals including their address and childrens schools being published online all from ananoymous accounts not real speech. They claim free speech. The fault is with the perps but also social media companies who think anonymous personas posting death threats constitutes free speech.
2 Go to commentsSo if this ain’t the best Irish team ever then who exactly is? I don’t remember any other Irish team being this good & winning a series in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Yes I may rip them often for 8 X QF RWC exits & twice not even making it to the QF, but they’re a damn good team who many think can only improve, including me!
67 Go to commentsNot a squeek out of Leinster for weeks about this match. So quiet. The first team have been quitely building for this encounter under Nienaber’s direction. All fresh, all highly motivated. They are expecting a season’s best performance from Northhampton. They will match that. They will be fresher and apparently they will have 80,000 out of the 83,000 shouting for them. I do expect Northhampton to turn up big time. Not to be missed. On a tangent it is evident how the loss of a few Premiership teams has in some respect helped other Premiership teams and England. More quality over less teams makes the teams better, which has a knock on effect on England. Not the only factor contributing to England’s rise but one of them.
2 Go to commentsOur very own monster teddy bear Ox😍💪
17 Go to commentsThis is might be the most generalised, entitled, patronising, out-of-pocket cultural indictment on a group of people you’ll ever see on what is supposedly a sports publication. I can only assume the author is weak like a woman or homosexual. I’m feeling an incredible range of emotions but I am not quite sure how to express them. I might go beat up a hockey player - assuming that’s okay with Duane and the boys? 🙂
9 Go to commentsBest thing the Welsh clubs could do is apply to join Gallagher prem surely be more exciting matches for there support than they have now.
2 Go to commentsRugbyPass writers are useless! you guys should get a real job because you all suck at writing about rugby!!!
9 Go to commentslooking forward to RWC2027 …. Boks on mission impossible for the Three-in-a-row, ABs to prove they being on par, France wishing to crown the “DuPont-era”, Ireland knocking on the Semi-Door ….. until then we’ll probably have to deal with Weird Ben’s fantasy-RWC23 (fun fact is, the drivel always creates a flooding of comments) …..
221 Go to commentsBen Smith you really make some good points in this article, the Springboks were not close to perfect and good still beat the All Blacks, imagine if they were as good as they were against France what a hiding the All Blacks would have gotten… maybe another Twickenham drubbing
221 Go to commentsIt is a good argument to keep the Rebels for one more year but also isnt this just opening the door as well for keeping them beyond 2025. If they can create some sort of financial stability in the next year and if their performances lift as they have this season then how would RA even cull them after that? It might be the most cost effective decision at this stage and perhaps many people are guilty of keeping relationships going because of the cost to decouple but then again when does that ever work out well?
27 Go to commentsDear Ben Smith you are a genius! God please become the next all blacks coach that can take on the mighty BOKS. Your rugby acumen is second to none - imagine your dads sperm bounced as unfortunately as that oval ball did….we would not be blessed with your presence. Just as the all blacks were missing a man you too are missing a chromosome for 80% of your life, so your insights are not only profound but ring true from your own experiences. Just as the TMO interfered with citing an illegal pass I am sure your local authorities interfere with your illegal passes you make on women - How dare they!!! God forbid that rugby be officiated fairly. You are the right man for the job. Next all blacks coach is here ladies and gentlemen Miss Ben Smith (He/She/They/IT)
221 Go to commentsHuge engine this guy and great to see him back ..The amount of clean outs he does at the ruck are ridiculous !!
3 Go to commentsThe level of desperation in this article is just embarrassing.
221 Go to commentsSome silly trolling in the comments.
9 Go to commentsEverywhere you turn some irish journo is advocating Ireland as the greatest, reasoning that the wc is a 4 year cycle event so, they say wc doesn’t matter it’s the rugby in between that should account for the accolade. If there was no wc then some substance could be gained, however in my opinion the moment that defined Ireland’s fate against the abs was 37 phases of repeated head bashing against a brick wall. If a change in strategy or a tinker with the game plan was executed then things could've been vastly different. And to point a finger the let down was in the hands of the number 10.
67 Go to commentsI have heard it asked if RA is essentially one of the part owners and I suppose therefor should be on the other side of these two parties. If they purchased the rebels and guaranteed them, and are responsible enough they incur Rebels penalties, where is this line drawn? Seems rough to have to pay a penalty for something were your involvement sees you on the side of the conned party, the creditors. If the Rebels directors themselves have given the club their money, 6mil worth right, why aren’t they also listed as sitting with RA and the Tax office? And the legal threat was either way, new Rebels or defunct, I can’t see how RA assume the threat was less likely enough to warrant comment about it in this article. Surely RA ignore that and only worry about whether they can defend it or not, which they have reported as being comfortable with. So in effect wouldn’t it be more accurate to say there is no further legal threat (or worry) in denying the deal. Unless the directors have reneged on that. > Returns of a Japanese team or even Argentinean side, the Jaguares, were said to be on the cards, as were the ideas of standing up brand new teams in Hawaii or even Los Angeles – crazy ideas that seemingly forgot the time zone issues often cited as a turn-off for viewers when the competition contained teams from South Africa. Those timezones are great for SR and are what will probably be needed to unlock its future (cant see it remaining without _atleast _help from Aus), day games here are night games on the West Coast of america, were potential viewers triple, win win. With one of the best and easiest ways to unlock that being to play games or a host a team there. Less good the further across Aus you get though. Jaguares wouldn’t be the same Jaguares, but I still would think it’s better having them than keeping the Rebels. The other options aren’t really realistic 25’ options, no. From reading this authors last article I think if the new board can get the investment they seem to be confident in, you keeping them simply for the amount of money they’ll be investing in the game. Then ditch them later if they’re not good enough without such a high budget. Use them to get Jaguares reintergration stronger, with more key players on board, and have success drive success.
27 Go to commentsYeah, and ours is waaay bigger than yours. Just as you's get a semi…oh hold on that never happens
67 Go to commentsLove watching
1 Go to comments