Pick the bones out of that. Four openside flankers in the squad, three fly‑halves, just two second-rows and one centre. It does not stop there with a first start on the wing and a debut in waiting on the bench, in Cardiff – a place that has a habit of swallowing up and spitting out fledgling England careers.
On the back of a six-day turnaround, the easy move was to slot Henry Slade back into midfield for the injured Ollie Lawrence and challenge the other 14 who started the victory against Italy last Sunday to go out and do the same against Wales.
Steve Borthwick has other ideas, however. England are in with a shot of securing the Six Nations title but, assuming Ireland vent their frustrations against Italy in the first of three games on “Super Saturday”, they will need a bonus point to move top of the table before France host Scotland.
“Our aspiration is to win the tournament, that’s always been the way we want to go and that’s not changed,” Borthwick said. “The context of who we’re playing against, or where we’re playing, is not the most important thing.
“The most important thing is the attitude with which we approach the game and the way we play. I’m very clear: I want the team to play this week with bravery and speed on the ball. We want them to play big. That’s what I want the team to do.”
It was a theme to which he returned: “I said this to the team: where we play is not the most important thing. The most important thing is the attitude with which we play. The way we approach the game. And that’s the challenge.”
A red rag to a regimental goat perhaps, but the message is clear. Borthwick does not want his side cowed by the Cardiff cauldron, lost in hymns and arias, poleaxed by the Principality’s pyrotechnics. He wants England to stamp their authority on Wales and has picked a team accordingly.
Lawrence’s injury has expedited Tommy Freeman’s move to outside-centre but it has been in the pipeline for a while. He provides a gain‑line presence that, without Lawrence and the dropped Tom Willis, is lacking elsewhere. Tom Roebuck is as close to a like-to-like replacement for Freeman on the wing as you are likely to find, and comes in for a first start and with Elliot Daly selected ahead of Ollie Sleightholme on the left. Borthwick clearly believes the aerial battle will be key, highlighting the danger of Gareth Anscombe’s kicking game.
Up front, Borthwick has recalled Ben Curry to slot in alongside his brother Tom, with Ben Earl shifting to No 8. It is a considerable show of faith for Borthwick to name the 20-year-old Northampton flanker Henry Pollock on the bench – he has enjoyed a breakthrough season with the Premiership champions but the expectation was that the summer tour of Argentina and the US would be the best place to blood him. He is not short on self‑confidence but Mathew Tait in 2005 and Tom Pearson in 2023 can both testify that making a debut in Cardiff can go horribly wrong.
Borthwick’s determination to win the breakdown battle is evident, however, hence the selection of four opensides in the 23 and both Currys starting. Wales boast fine jackallers in Tommy Reffell and Jac Morgan and Borthwick is only too aware it was an area of the game in which England came off second best against Scotland and so nearly paid the price for it. “The speed and athleticism they bring to the game is going to be really important this weekend,” Borthwick said.
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That in turn brings us to the selection of Marcus Smith at full‑back. He played there for 72 minutes against Italy despite his initial omission but his immediate reprieve is telling. If England’s groundhogs can dominate the breakdown, provide Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith with quick ball, Borthwick wants Marcus Smith to take full advantage by weaving his magic as his side pursue four tries minimum.
Should they still be in pursuit in the final quarter of the match, introducing George Ford at fly‑half, shifting Fin Smith to inside-centre and keeping Marcus Smith on the pitch is a live option and if it materialises, no one could accuse the head coach of conservatism.
Ultimately, Borthwick does not want England to get drawn into an “arm-wrestle” in the manner they were against Scotland. He wants England to impose their game on Wales, regardless of the hostility they will face against a side desperate to end their 16-match losing run against the team they love to beat above all else.
It is not without risk. Freeman started at centre for Northampton on 10 occasions last season, once this term, but has never done so for England. He is part of a 9‑10‑12‑13 Saints axis, but Fraser Dingwall is making only his fourth England start and another early injury in midfield this week is likely to press Earl into action at centre rather than lead to the first-half introduction of Ford. Roebuck is inexperienced at this level, having won just three previous caps, all from the bench, Pollock is undoubtedly raw while Willis and Chandler Cunningham‑South have limited experience of covering second row.
Borthwick has been establishing a reputation as a bold selector but the stick with which he has been beaten during this Six Nations championship is that he has not delivered on pre‑match promises. This is the boldest team he has picked and one that appears to marry most with his stated intentions, however. When you consider how hard France will be to stop in Paris it is a moonshot, but credit must go to Borthwick for taking it.
