Steve Borthwick and his England players are back in their regular camp of Pennyhill Park, having jetted back from Girona for the pre-Autumn Nations Series training. The sessions in Surrey are set to heat up once again, as Borthwick irons out the creases ahead of the incoming All Blacks Test this Saturday at the Allianz.
Borthwick made a series of alterations to his squad following the latest weekend of Premiership action, with George Ford, Ted Hill and Alex Coles called into the camp upon a playing basis. Henry Slade was back in action for Exeter Chiefs in his first match back from shoulder surgery. Slade utilised the run out against Harlequins as a tester for the incoming All Blacks challenge, as he is back with the England squad this week.
The latest weekend of the Premiership brought about an end to the first block of fixtures, with the top flight now put on hold for the Autumn Internationals. In it’s place will be the Premiership Rugby Cup, as the Premiership and Championship clubs look to secure the bragging rights with regional rivalry match-ups this weekend.
With four tough Tests lined up for England, Borthwick could well utilise any of the following five players this Autumn, who all impressed in the Premiership this past weekend. With injuries often a factor of the game at the elite level, the England head coach could reinforce his ranks with these five top contenders, who all starred for their clubs in round six of the Gallagher Premiership.
1. Ted Hill (Bath Rugby)
We kick off this list with Ted Hill, as the efforts of the Bath back row were immediately noticed by Borthwick. After getting initially left out of the pre-Autumn squad that trained out in Spain, Hill got the nod in Sunday’s updated squad, that saw Ollie Chessum drop out after picking up an injury in England training. Hill’s recent efforts in blue, black and white certainly helped his cause after Bath’s win against Sale.
Hill’s stats spoke for themselves, as he crossed over for a try off the back of 71% gain-line success. The flanker battered the Sharks black and blue at the breakdown, as he made 14 contributions at the rucks. Watching on at the Rec was Ruck’s Bath Reporter Sam Jess, who was impressed by Hill’s rightly deserved Player of the Match performance. “Once again he showed he abrasiveness as a flanker as he helped Bath
stifle the Sharks pack while also showing his attacking presence with a wonderfully taken try.”
2. Joe Batley (Bristol Bears)
This November, England head coach Steve Borthwick will have his squad depth tested, as his side takes on the All Blacks, Australia, South Africa and Japan across back-to-back weekends. Throw in the additional England A match, and there is a decent amount of rotation required for solid performances in all five fixtures. Bristol lock Joe Batley could well reinforce the ranks, as he was once against one of the Bear’s best players on the pitch.
Watching on at Ashton Gate was Ruck’s Bristol Reporter Ben Thorne, who said: “Named TNT sports player of the match, Batley was immense on both sides of the ball as he has been over the last 6 weeks. The lock carried well and certainly impressed scoring the bonus point try late in the match.
3. Will Muir (Bath Rugby)
The man known around the Rec as ‘Horse’ cantered out the starting pen, and was quick over the line to score just 65 seconds upon his return to blue, black and white. Muir had not been in action for Bath since October 5th, as he picked up an injury in the West Country battle against Bristol Bears. Muir has long been a wing on the cusp of an international breakthrough, so could this Autumn be the time he finally makes the grade for Steve Borthwick’s team?
Muir has the added opportunity of a call-up into the England A squad, and with his Bath coach Lee Blackett involved in the set-up, you’d expect Muir to be in for a shout for contention. Muir was excellent in this past weekend’s win against Sale Sharks, and kept up the relentless pace for his hour long effort. With his unique running style proving too evasive for the Sharks to snap up, the Premiership Finalist certainly did himself plenty of favours for an England involvement following his side’s win.
4. Tom Willis (Saracens)
Question marks continue to be raised, regarding the England involvement (or perhaps lack there of) for Tom Willis. The Saracen was tipped for a run in Borthwick’s England squad this Autumn, as he was hitting a revered top gear week after week with the North Londoners. However, the latest update from Pennyhill Park finds no place for the number eight, despite Willis once again impressing for his club.
Perhaps it was a coin-flip between Tom Willis and Ted Hill, after Ollie Chessum left the back row ranks a player short last weekend. Regardless, Willis will remain at the StoneX as Saracens begin their Premiership Rugby Cup campaign. Ruck’s Midlands Reporter James Logan travelled down to report on Leicester’s battle with Saracens, and left North London pondering why Willis is not involved with the England squad.
“The question on everyone’s lips is, how is Tom Willis not in Steve Borthwick’s England squad?” Logan said. “The No.8 showed his experience and took the lead in the Saracens scrum. He carried hard and was rewarded with a try to his name. With players like Ben Earl and Andy Onyema-Christie missing it could be his shirt to lose.”
5. Tom Pearson (Northampton Saints)
With an honourable mention in store to his back row partner Henry Pollock, we have handed the fifth spot on this list to Tom Pearson. The Northampton Saints back row is eager to build upon his one England cap, which he obtained in the Rugby World Cup warm up Test against Wales. Pearson was not involved throughout the 2024 Six Nations or subsequent Summer Tour, and has begun the 2024/25 Premiership season with a point to prove.
Ruck’s Bristol Reporter Ben Thorne was certainly impressed by Pearson’s performance, as he watched the Saints come up second best in their trip to Ashton Gate. “Despite being on the losing side, Pearson was key for the Saints attack particularly in the first half. The flanker made line breaks to create both of Northamptons tries early in the match and he was also very dominant in contact on both sides of the ball.”
Thorne also shared the admiration of Henry Pollock, with the England U20 star impressing upon his trip to the West Country. “There’s been a lot of noise around the 19-year-old since his performance in the U20 World Championships, but the flanker proved he was absolutely worth it on Friday evening. He was ruthless in contact situations, commanding the ball from players who are far more experienced than he is. Pollock also impressed over the ball, jackaling on numerous occasions to win turnovers and penalties.”
England’s predicted starting XV for opening Autumn Nations Series clash against All Blacks
The wait is almost over for England fans, as Steve Borthwick’s side commence their Autumn Nations Series campaign this Saturday. England have the tall order of hosting the All Blacks at the Allianz this weekend, as they seek out revenge following back-to-back Summer defeats down in New Zealand.
Injury news has been at the forefront of the preparations, with the likes of George Ford Joe Marler and Henry Slade bouncing back from the recovery wards in time for the Autumn internationals. Alex Mitchell remains on the side-lines with a neck injury, and Ollie Chessum is the latest to join him, having withdrawn from the camp following the weekend’s England training.
Whilst untimely injuries do cause the best laid plans to go out the window, they do open up the door for last minute call-ups. Bath back row Ted Hill has re-joined the England camp, as he takes up Chessum’s vacancy following a barnstorming performance in blue, black and white this past weekend. Hill is one such predicted player to be named in Borthwick’s England squad to play the All Blacks, with our full expected match day 23 listed below.
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England’s predicted starting XV:
BACK THREE
15. George Furbank (Northampton Saints)
14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)
11. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)
We commence the match day 23 with the outside backs, and we can’t see Steve Borthwick making any changes to his trio that took on the All Blacks in Dunedin back in July. Beginning with newly coronated Northampton Saints club captain George Furbank, the fullback missed out on the second Test at Auckland’s Eden Park, after suffering a back injury after a heavy coming together with New Zealand wing Sevu Reece.
Furbank was replaced by Leicester Tigers fullback Freddie Steward for the second Test, yet the Northampton man has been in impressive upon the return of the green, black and golds in recent weeks. Whilst Furbank may be a step away from the grade compared to Steward’s dominance under the high ball, the Saint’s versatility is what he really brings to the table, proving himself indispensable to Borthwick as Swiss army knife of covering options.
Tommy Freeman is our pick to resume ownership of the 11 jersey, with the Northampton flyer running out for his first full 80 minutes of the season, against Exeter this past Saturday. Freeman was amongst the England players that had a staggered re-introduction to their clubs, after the announcement of the Professional Group Partnership in September.
Freeman silenced the All Blacks fans with his try at Eden Park in July, and would want nothing more than to emulate this with a try-scoring roar from the Twickenham faithful this coming November. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso certainly left his mark in an England shirt this past Summer, as the Exeter Chiefs wing scored three tries on the tour, crossing over in each match against Japan and New Zealand.
Feyi-Waboso ensured that he left New Zealand with the All Blacks remembering his name, after Sevu Reece admitted to not knowing who the Exeter Chiefs man was ahead of the opening Test in the Forsyth Barr Stadium. Feyi-Waboso scored a brace of tries in the Chiefs defeat to Northampton this past weekend, as the wing is back firing at his best ahead of a return call to the England squad.
CENTRES
13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
12. Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby)
All eyes were on Henry Slade for this past Sunday’s sole Premiership fixture, as the England midfielder made his long awaited return from a lengthy injury layoff. Slade sustained a tear in the undearm-shoulder region in the 2024 Guinness Six Nations, as he attempted to tackle Duhan van der Merwe in the lead up to one of the Scotland wing’s stunning solo tries.
Slade was able to manage the injury for the remainder of the season 2023/24 season, and utilised the time away from the pitch to go under the knife, following the Summer tour of Japan and New Zealand. Slade has spent the past three months rehabbing his shoulder, and returned in Exeter’s defeat to Harlequins at Sandy Park. Despite coming away on the losing side of the result, Slade would be happy to get the first game back under his belt in preparation for the incoming All Blacks.
Bringing flexibility into the centre options is Bath’s Ollie Lawrence, who plays for the blue, black and whites at 13, yet has been recently utilised by Borthwick in the 12 shirt. Lawrence was England’s go to man in the inside centre for both the 2024 Six Nations and the latest Summer tour, and did it all whilst alternating back to outside centre in Bath’s run to the Premiership Final.
Borthwick utilised the Lawrence-Slade midfield axis in Dunedin and Auckland this past Summer, and the England head coach has spoken previously about the importance of Test match consistency. Outside of the West Country duo, Alex Lozowski provides an unused threat in the England midfield, with Northampton’s Tommy Freeman also recently running out in the 13 shirt to provide Borthwick with further options if needed.
