38 - 31

17 - 20

24 - 14

19 - 45

30 - 21

29 - 25

29 - 12

18 - 12

38 - 26

Six Nations

Jamie George to lead England in Six Nations opener vs Wales

Jon Newcombe

90 days ago

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 21: Co-captain, Jamie George for England XV watches a reply during the rugby international match between England XV and France XV at Allianz Stadium on June 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Sam Mellish/Getty Images)

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.

VIDEO

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)

LIVE

Comments

12 Comments

mh 90 days ago

What an exciting 6N we’re in for…J George & G Ford having their strings pulled by Boring Borthers. No chance of flair or attacking intent…kicking for territory will be the aim of the game

PMcD 90 days ago

When you think what that matchday 23 will look like once Baxter, Stuart, Martin, Ben Curry, Fin Smith & Lawrence return along with the additions of Van Rensberg & Caluori to the 36, it’s looking very exciting for RWC 2027 if they can keep them all fit.

fl 90 days ago

I think Van Rensberg will be lucky to make the 36, but I guess that just underlines how good England’s depth is now!

Really hope that when Martin does eventually return he picks up where he left off. Itoje, Chessum, & Martin is a really world class trio, but he’s going to be out for well over 12 months by the looks of it - can’t think of many players who manage to revive careers after so much time off.

Prowelly 90 days ago

Hello Nice to meet you

PMcD 90 days ago

A solid 23 given current injuries and availability (Itoje missing training).

Arundell is the only slight surprise being in the starters but other than that it’s pretty much as expected.

unknown 90 days ago

Ojomoh and Roebuck can both feel very unlucky to miss out!

PMcD 90 days ago

To be fair, if you look at the backline in the Autumn Mitchell, Ford, IF-W, Dingwall, Lawrence, Roebuck, Freeman - it’s only changed because of Roebuck & Lawrence injuries.

Load More Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!