HALFBACKS:
10. Marcus Smith
9. Alex Mitchell
Moore wrote in The Telegraph: “Picking half of the half-back picks is simple. Alex Mitchell’s club form has continued from his France 2023 heights, but it is which No 10 will play that signals Borthwick’s intent.
“Marcus Smith would suggest a Mitchell-Smith longer term partnership but there is no point preferring Smith over George Ford if the Quins No 10 is not given licence to play with alacrity and the inevitable mistakes that will come with that freer approach being tolerated, at least in the short term.”
FRONT-ROW:
1. Joe Marler
2. Jamie George
3. Dan Cole
Moore wrote in The Telegraph: “As the best two scrummaging props, Joe Marler (if fit) and Dan Coleshould give England the absolutely necessary solid scrum ball, but it is at prop where England do not have flawless depth.
“Ellis Genge and Beno Obano are dynamic but not yet world-class scrummagers. On the tighthead there is no undisputed challenger to Cole, and this is something that England will need to solve to maintain set-piece solidity over a full game.”