England’s head coach Steve Borthwick will announce a squad of around 36 players for the 2026 Six Nations this Friday, ahead of a training camp in Spain next week and an opening fixture they will be expected to win at home to Wales on 7 February.
Off the back of an 11-match winning streak, optimism is high among England supporters but still there are tough choices for Borthwick to make in several areas of the team, with ups and downs in form and fitness, and one player thrown out as a result of protocols between the Premiership and the RFU.
Who should start at inside-centre?
Last summer’s sensation Seb Atkinson of Gloucester missed England’s autumn with injury but he has had a run of starts since December, and offers impressive tackling stats and heads-up running.
Northampton’s Fraser Dingwall missed England’s recent alignment camp due to a bout of concussion but on Sunday he faced Scarlets’ possible Wales centre combo Joe Hawkins and Eddie James in tandem with Tommy Freeman.
Tommy Freeman at 13 could unlock greater freedom at 12 for England (Photo: PA)Freeman-Dingwall is a possible England combo – although with Tom Roebuck injured, Freeman may be needed on the wing.
“Playing alongside ‘Freemo’ is fun,” Dingwall said. “It can be quite simple at times – you give him the ball and he can do some cool things.”
But maybe the most eye-catching No 12 right now is Bath’s Max Ojomoh, whose willingness to take responsibility for shaping attack was evident in the Champions Cup win over Edinburgh. And his club 12-13 pairing with Ollie Lawrence is another option for Borthwick.
How do you solve the tighthead injury crisis?
Bath’s British & Irish Lions tighthead Will Stuart was joined on the injury list last week by Sale Sharks’ Asher Opoku-Fordjour, removing two thirds of the No 3s who played for England in the autumn series.
To plug the gaps alongside the first-choice Joe Heyes, Borthwick must weigh up youth and experience.
The 21-year-old Afolabi Fasogbon has been building front-line minutes since his mini-war with Ellis Genge made headlines in the Prem last season, with 13 appearances for Gloucester this season, and November starts for England A against an All Blacks XV and Spain.
Ellis Genge giving props to young Afo Fasogbon after the final whistle yesterday A monster performance from the 20-year-old! #GallagherPrem pic.twitter.com/1ur8pstauf
— The Rugby Paper (@TheRugbyPaper) September 28, 2024Fasogbon’s A-team back-up was Billy Sela, 20, who has made six starts for Bath this season while valuably learning from the mighty Thomas du Toit.
Or Borthwick could revert to a player previously overlooked, which is always intriguing. On Sunday, Northampton Saints’ 33-year-old Trevor Davison strolled round the Franklin’s Gardens pitch, socks rolled down, calf muscles bulging after a solid 46 minutes’ worth of giving Scarlets hell in the scrum.
He is entitled to think he has timed his form and fitness well, having started 11 of his club’s 13 Prem and Champions Cup matches this season.
How will England replace France-bound No 8 Willis?
Anyone out there who loves rugby and country & western music could pen a “Ballad of Tom Willis”, the Saracens No 8 with whom Borthwick has fallen in and out of love this season.
Last summer Willis was given an enhanced England contract for this season then he decided to sign for Bordeaux-Begles in France for next season, and with players abroad ruled off-limits to England, he was immediately dropped from the national squad, depriving them of a specialist ball-carrying No 8 who has been tearing up the Prem.
What to do? Two uncapped coming men in the back row are Emeka Ilione of Leicester Tigers and Greg Fisilau of Exeter Chiefs, and Borthwick will be eyeing fitness reports and how many players he wants at the camp in Spain.
Henry Pollock…WOW! "He's done it again, but today is on another level!" Just absolutely explosive running to score a big try for @SaintsRugby #InvestecChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/yN9iryaW8r
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) May 3, 2025Fisilau was England A’s No 8 in November, and his elusive carrying has been standing out for a resurgent Chiefs. The much more established Ben Earl as well as Henry Pollock thrive on hitting the gainline at pace: think Pollock’s try for Northampton in Dublin in last season’s Champions Cup semi-final.
Then there is Chandler Cunningham-South, who wore No 8 For England against Fiji in November, when he was used as a line-out jumper while in scrums he was at the base for Fiji’s attacking put-ins and on the flank for England’s, with Earl at the base. Tom Curry likewise can take on some of these duties.
But Borthwick is working around the simple fact that none of the alternatives is quite like Willis or his No 8 predecessor for club and country, Billy Vunipola.
Is Marcus Smith still a full-back?
George Furbank has missed the last four Northampton Saints matches with a calf injury, and his lack of minutes this season is a concern.
With Saints’ George Hendy maybe not ready for Six Nations promotion, it could point to a back three of Freddie Steward, Tommy Freeman and Manny Feyi-Waboso against Wales, although among the front-line contenders, Elliot Daly is top for kick metres and break assists per 80 minutes this season.
Remember, also, England of late have liked a six-two split on the bench, and they are very unlikely to pick a 23 without two possible fly-halves, which is why Marcus Smith keeps being considered as a full-back.
Which exciting young winger can have the most impact?
With Roebuck’s comeback date fairly imminent but not certain, Leicester Tigers’ wing Adam Radwan might have had a shot, having racked up four tries against Saracens and Bayonne this month to put his best foot – and very fast feet – forward.
But now his club say he needs surgery on a “lower leg injury”, which may rule him out of the Six Nations. The likes of Cadan Murley, Noah Caluori and Ollie Hassell-Collins are jockeying for position.
Is it time for a fresh face at hooker?
One of the juiciest choices, when viewed through the prism of the next World Cup in 2027. Jamie George and Luke Cowan-Dickie keep on carrying on but are well into their 30s, while obvious successor Theo Dan, 25, was barely seen during the November Tests.
With less than two years to the big show in Australia, we’ll see if Borthwick decides now to pivot to one or more of a range of alternatives including Jamie Blamire, Gabriel Oghre, Curtis Langdon, Nathan Jibulu and Kepu Tuipulotu.
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