The 15 England players yet to play a single minute in this Six Nations
Steve Borthwick’s latest squad of 36 have assembled in the north of England for a fallow week training camp that will culminate in an open session in York on Friday.
The question on the minds of English fans will be what the head coach can do to quickly improve his team for their round four Guinness Six Nations clash with the title-chasing Ireland on March 9.
Having named the same side to take on Wales in round two following the opening round win in Italy, the first time England had gone with an unchanged XV since the 2019 Rugby World Cup final, there were five changes to the starting line-up that crumbled in Scotland last Saturday.
While England finished the recent World Cup in France as the bronze medal winners, they came through the weaker side of the draw and their status in recent years as a second-rate Six Nations team was reinforced by their horrible capitulation at Scottish Gas Murrayfield.
Since winning the 2020 pandemic-affected championship, England’s results in the Six Nations have been underwhelming.
All three completed campaigns ended with just two wins from five matches and with Ireland and France still to play in 2024, they are facing that very same depressing outcome – another two-from-five season unless they can manage an upset against the Irish or the French.
So far this year, Borthwick has had 43 players attend England training. Twenty have gone on to be starters (10 started in all three February matches), with eight more appearing off the bench at some stage in the games against the Italians, the Welsh and the Scots.
That leaves 15 players – eight forwards and seven backs – who have trained with England at some stage in recent weeks without seeing a single minute of action in this year’s championship.
Tighthead Joe Heyes, hookers Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jamie Blamire, locks Nick Isiekwe and Charlie Ewels, back-rowers Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt and Tom Pearson, half-backs Harry Randall and Marcus Smith, centres Oscar Beard, Max Ojomoh and Manu Tuilagi, and wings Will Muir and Tom Roebuck have all been surplus to requirement so far in terms of playing.
Cowan-Dickie and Blamire have rotated the third hooking position, Isiekwe picked up an illness in Girona resulting in his place going to Ewels, Randall was called up as cover for the injured Alex Mitchell, while Marcus Smith is still rehabbing after his injury setback in Spain the Monday before the opener against Wales.
Ten of these 15 players who haven’t yet played this spring have now been named in the latest England training group – including Pearson, who has been recalled in place of the injured Curry, and Muir, who is covering this week for the absent Immanuel Feyi-Waboso as he is completing a university medical exam in Exeter.
The rehabilitating Smith wasn’t officially included for the York gathering, but he will attend camp to continue his injury return along with Alex Mitchell.
Aside from the potential promotion of players such as George Martin from the Murrayfield bench into the starting line-up, is there a debate to be had over whether any of England’s match day surplus, particularly Smith if he is fit, can be upgraded into the starting XV – or at least make the game day 23 – to try and put a stop to the Irish gallop towards what would be their second successive Grand Slam title?
Borthwick needs to lift the mood and the England XV that started in Edinburgh simply can’t be the team that takes the field at Twickenham in 10 days.
43 England players – 2024 Six Nations
Unused (15): Blamire, Cowan-Dickie, Curry, Dombrandt, Heyes, Isiekwe, Ewels, Pearson; Beard, Muir, Ojomoh, Randall, Roebuck, Smith M, Tuilagi
Three starts (10): Chessum, Earl, George, Itoje, Roots, Underhill; Daly, Ford, Freeman, Slade
Two starts, one run as sub (2): Marler, Stuart
Two starts (3): Dingwall, Mitchell, Steward
One start, two runs as sub (2): Cole; Care
One start, one run as sub (1): Genge
One start (2): Furbank, Lawrence
Three runs as sub (2): Cunningham-South, Dan
Two runs as sub (3): Coles; Feyi-Waboso, Smith F
One run as sub (3): Obano, Martin; Spencer
Comments on RugbyPass
Tamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
1 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
1 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
33 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
33 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
33 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to comments