[2025 Six Nations] Wales vs England - 15/3/25

[Scotty]

England starting XV
15. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 43 caps)
14. Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks, 3 caps)
13. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 19 caps)
12. Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, 3 caps)
11. Elliot Daly (Saracens, 72 caps)
10. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints, 10 caps)
9. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 22 caps)
1. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 70 caps) – vice-captain
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 48 caps)
3. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 49 caps)
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 92 caps) – captain
5. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 27 caps)
6. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 60 caps)
7. Ben Curry (Sale Sharks, 10 caps)
8. Ben Earl (Saracens, 41 caps)

Replacements
16. Jamie George (Saracens, 100 caps) – vice-captain
17. Fin Baxter (Harlequins, 10 caps)
18. Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 11 caps)
19. Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 14 caps)
20. Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
21. Tom Willis (Saracens, 5 caps)
22. Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers, 17 caps)
23. George Ford (Sale Sharks, 98 caps)

I'll start with the random of 3 10s, hoping Ford is retiring and it's giving him one last run. If so who will step up as 3rd choice(food for thought)

13 cover? Well Daly Freeman and Dingwall, leaving either 3 10s on the pitch or Earl at 12. A bit of a worry.

3 7s slow down their breakdown as they will run and attack alot, if we can slow it down we then force them to keep, enter Roebuck.

Willis and CCS on the bench, add in some power when Wales start to tire, Pollock has a solid workrate and is one for the future and when Earl is at 12 there will still be 2 7s on the pitch(LOL)

honestly I like the 23 over all.

SB has made alot of changes of combinations this 6n but has largely stuck to the same group of players in the 23, swapping starting and bench but mainly same players bar a couple. Hopfully when the Lions are away we will have a core group who've played alot together and try out new players in those gaps, not sure how many go but a few I'd bet

 

[Reiser99]

So I read the team.

I went away, had dinner, played with my daughter and then washed up to make sure I'd calmed down when I wrote this.

What the actual **** Borthwick, you absolutely useless ******* plonker.

Smith at 15, then dropped, then back to 15.
Daly who is best at centre on the wing which has long been his worst position.
Cowan-Dickie back for now real reason other than to give George his 100 cap as a starter. Even then I don't think LCD has been that great either.
Willis dropped when he's finally giving us some power up front and putting Earl back who has struggled most of the tournament in attack at 8. T Curry being flogged like a dead horse when Ben would do just as good a job.
No lock cover at all is just baffling
3 10s, even if by chance Ford is retiring is just ridiculous.
Our top try scorers being benched or dropped...
Pollock being included? Just why? Yes he's got a great future, but it's not now.
6:2 with zero cover in the backs other than 9&10. That means 11-15 has no cover.

How is this team meant to build any sort of consistency or fluency playing with each other when every week Borthwick is changing the side. And it's not just small tweaks, these a wholesale changes. Seriously he hasn't got a clue. England are no where near to being in the position to be handing out caps to retiring players (if that's the case). Honestly it feels like 1 step forward, two steps back under Borthwick.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I'm surprised more is not being made of lock options considering the furore over backrow lineout specialists before the tournament


FTR I think it's a decent side and there's a lot of good players in there it's just the combinations feel really weird - feels more like the kind of make up you'd see in the first game of the summer window when the playoff sides aren't available so they just cobble together a 23 and don't care about the balance of the side

 

[IT157]

So I read the team.

I went away, had dinner, played with my daughter and then washed up to make sure I'd calmed down when I wrote this.

What the actual **** Borthwick, you absolutely useless ******* plonker.

Smith at 15, then dropped, then back to 15.
Daly who is best at centre on the wing which has long been his worst position.
Cowan-Dickie back for now real reason other than to give George his 100 cap as a starter. Even then I don't think LCD has been that great either.
Willis dropped when he's finally giving us some power up front and putting Earl back who has struggled most of the tournament in attack at 8. T Curry being flogged like a dead horse when Ben would do just as good a job.
No lock cover at all is just baffling
3 10s, even if by chance Ford is retiring is just ridiculous.
Our top try scorers being benched or dropped...
Pollock being included? Just why? Yes he's got a great future, but it's not now.
6:2 with zero cover in the backs other than 9&10. That means 11-15 has no cover.

How is this team meant to build any sort of consistency or fluency playing with each other when every week Borthwick is changing the side. And it's not just small tweaks, these a wholesale changes. Seriously he hasn't got a clue. England are no where near to being in the position to be handing out caps to retiring players (if that's the case). Honestly it feels like 1 step forward, two steps back under Borthwick.

Freeman is our top try scorer with 4 and he is playing.

Next is Tom Curry (is playing and sounds like you want him dropped...) and Ollie Sleightholme who both have two. Hasn't Ollie Sleightholme been lambasted for his lack of defensive ability, and many have been calling for Roebuck to play instead?

 

[Duck a l'Orange]

But needs two caps for 100. More likely target?

Nice of Steve to give him (only) one on the last international of the regular season then.

 

[Reiser99]

I'm surprised more is not being made of lock options considering the furore over backrow lineout specialists before the tournament


FTR I think it's a decent side and there's a lot of good players in there it's just the combinations feel really weird - feels more like the kind of make up you'd see in the first game of the summer window when the playoff sides aren't available so they just cobble together a 23 and don't care about the balance of the side

Yeah this is probably the best summary, just combinations that don't make sense and no balance to the side.

 

[Welsh Exile]

Sherratt is apparently going to put Joe Roberts on the wing with the only other change coming with Wainwright starting instead of Reffell.

 

[General Melchett]

With it being the last round the English backs should just go rogue and play their own game. More heads up running rugby with sexy offloads and less kicking the ball away needlessly. Last chance saloon to impress Faz for some of them.

 

[Rugbyfan564]

I'll start with the random of 3 10s, hoping Ford is retiring and it's giving him one last run. If so who will step up as 3rd choice(food for thought)

13 cover? Well Daly Freeman and Dingwall, leaving either 3 10s on the pitch or Earl at 12. A bit of a worry.

3 7s slow down their breakdown as they will run and attack alot, if we can slow it down we then force them to keep, enter Roebuck.

Willis and CCS on the bench, add in some power when Wales start to tire, Pollock has a solid workrate and is one for the future and when Earl is at 12 there will still be 2 7s on the pitch(LOL)

honestly I like the 23 over all.

SB has made alot of changes of combinations this 6n but has largely stuck to the same group of players in the 23, swapping starting and bench but mainly same players bar a couple. Hopfully when the Lions are away we will have a core group who've played alot together and try out new players in those gaps, not sure how many go but a few I'd bet

We likely to know who is 3rd choice even if he doesn't retire before the summer as I think at least one of the Smith's will end up being on the Lions tour. A summer tour without either of the Smith's or Ford would be very interesting to see what Borthwick does.

 

[AngloScotsHybrid]

If Dingwall gets injured who is going to play inside centre?

 

[Flankers' paradise]

We likely to know who is 3rd choice even if he doesn't retire before the summer as I think at least one of the Smith's will end up being on the Lions tour. A summer tour without either of the Smith's or Ford would be very interesting to see what Borthwick does.

Tbf lasttime the Lions came around we only had 2 FH options, faz away with them and rested Ford. Marcus debuted while Umaga and Furbank were the bench options. Not unrealistic that both smiths tour with the lions and Steve Boring brings someone else through - most likely Charlie Atkinson and/or Orlando Bailey - with Furbank covering for them

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Same as we have always done, just stick anyone in the 12 shirt.

 

[Reiser99]

If Dingwall gets injured who is going to play inside centre?

Hey, planning cover for positions is overrated. Let's just wing it and hope we don't end up with 3 FHs on at the same time.

 

[Wasps92]

Jeez.

3 10s, two of whom don't play any other position

4 7s

Both locks are excellent but hybrid 6s really. Chessum arguably our first choice 6.

A total, not especially tall, non lock covering from the bench

A wing at 13

Last week's starting 15 who played at 13 now at 11.

Mitchell is the only back who started the Ireland game in the same shirt.

Wal have just been given a sniff. And back on my hobby horse they wouldn't have seen this coming, so why announce so early?

It'll annoy @BPM, but I almost want us to lose this now.

Last week we at least had square pegs in square holes. Not so much this week.

It's quite a zany selection. Can see it biting Borthwick on the arse.

We lose this and he has to go.

 

[IT157]

Last week we at least had square pegs in square holes. Not so much this week.

It's quite a zany selection. Can see it biting Borthwick on the arse.

We lose this and he has to go.

He won't.

 

[McTallshort]

If Dingwall gets injured who is going to play inside centre?

Earl.

 

[Saintjay]

Same as we have always done, just stick anyone in the 12 shirt.

Fin Smith to 12, Ford to 10, Smith at 15.

Pretty sure he's played Ford, Farrell, Smith together. Loves a good fly-half mash up does Stevie boy.

 

[Scotty]

I've been thinking 13 situation with Daly and Freeman, and he is using this to simply get Freeman time at 13 with Lawrence out. Not like Daly doesn't play wing or Freeman hasn't been at 13 before. I don't mind it tbh. Plus in the summer with Lawrence out it's likely he will play there or least cover there.

Lack of lock cover is odd but then I'm sure Willis or CCS can slot in, agree not ideal put arethey any shorter than George Martin? Long term yes we need a lock, short term I can live with it. What if THill benched over Pollock still no real cover I really dont have an issue with this team

Bar maybe 3 10s, I'd rather centre cover on the bench.

 

[BrokenWing]

Lack of lock cover is odd

Think how high they could throw up George Ford.

And can any of the other locks throw up a spiral bomb?

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I hate that team tbh
Why do we need that split?
Back row is icky

Give me Freeman at 15, Daly at 13 and Roebuck on the wing in the backs.