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Jamie George to lead England in Six Nations opener vs Wales
By Jon Newcombe
Jamie George will captain England in their Six Nations opener against Wales on Saturday, with regular skipper Maro Itoje, who has been grieving the death of his mother Florence, named on the bench.
Itoje will take over as skipper when he steps on to the field. George Ford and Ellis Genge are the vice-captains.
Tommy Freeman will start only his third Test at outside centre after Steve Borthwick decided to pair him in midfield with Northampton team-mate, Fraser Dingwall. Dingwall has been preferred to Max Ojomoh, who doesn’t make the matchday 23.
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The selection of Freeman at 13 has, however, opened the door for Ojomoh’s Bath team-mate, Henry Arundell to show off his lightning pace.
Arundell will be making his home Six Nations debut, with his only previous championship appearance coming against Ireland in Dublin in 2023, before he effectively made himself unavailable by moving to France. It is also his fdirst England start since 2023.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso will be on the other wing, while Freddie Steward gets the nod at full-back. Half-backs Alex Mitchell and George Ford complete the starting backline.
Ellis Genge and Joe Heyes will prop down either side of George in the fornt row, Alex Coles and Ollie Chessum form an all-East Midlands second row, while Bath duo Guy Pepper and Sam Underhill are on the flanks and Ben Earl packs down at No.8.
“England versus Wales is always a special occasion in the rugby calendar. It’s a fierce rivalry with a long history, and one that brings a huge challenge every time we meet,” said Borthwick.
“We expect Wales to bring a kicking game, so we’ll need to be accurate in how we respond to that challenge. For us, our focus is on executing our game plan and maintaining discipline throughout the match.
“We’re excited to get the Championship underway at a packed-out Allianz Stadium. The support we receive at home is outstanding and always gives the players a huge lift.”
ENGLAND team v Wales: Saturday 7 February 2026, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, Kick-off: 4.40pm
15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 41 caps)
14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs, 13 caps)
13. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 22 caps)
12. Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, 7 caps)
11. Henry Arundell (Bath Rugby, 11 caps)
10. George Ford (Sale Sharks, 105 caps) – vice-captain
9. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 27 caps)
1. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 75 caps) – vice-captain
2. Jamie George (Saracens, 105 caps) – captain
3. Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 17 caps)
4. Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 14 caps)
5. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 30 caps)
6. Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby, 7 caps)
7. Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 45 caps)
8. Ben Earl (Saracens, 46 caps)
Replacements:
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 53 caps)
17. Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks, 10 caps)
18. Trevor Davison (Northampton Saints, 3 caps)
19. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 97 caps)
20. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 65 caps)
21. Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints, 5 caps)
22. Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby, 14 caps)
23. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 46 caps)
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