"England as Favourites" - Anthony Watson firmly backs England for 2026 Six Nations Grand Slam - Ruck
England Rugby News Six Nations 2026

“England as Favourites” – Anthony Watson firmly backs England for 2026 Six Nations Grand Slam

28 January 2026
Tom Sansom

Former England and British & Irish Lions wing Anthony Watson has nailed down his pick for the winner of the 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, as he believes England have what it takes to claim the Grand Slam. Steve Borthwick’s side are riding a tidal wave of momentum, with a stunning 11-match winning streak dating back to the opening weekend of last year’s Championship.

England have since claimed impressive wins over the likes of France, New Zealand, Argentina and Australia throughout an impressive run of victories, throughout the 2025 Six Nations, Summer Tour and Autumn Nations Series campaigns.

Watson can only see one winner when it comes to the upcoming Championship, as the 56-capped England international backs Borthwick’s men for a glorious campaign. Speaking to RUCK and Grosvenor Sport, who offer odds for the 2026 Six Nations, Watson revealed why he believes England are the team to be for the 2026 Six Nations.

“I do think it’s justified to have England as favourites. In the autumn they looked like the best Northern Hemisphere team. France are still finding their feet a little bit. If they can start well and if they win away in Scotland, I think they’ve got a very good chance of doing the Grand Slam.

“I think that they can beat Ireland at home, we’ve seen that before. No disrespect, because Wales and Italy away is going to be tough, but I think they’ve got the ability to do that. France away, last game of the campaign, if everything hangs on that, I think that they’ll do the job.”

Pundits and fans alike have dusted off their respective crystals, and predicted the upcoming outcome of the soon to commence Six Nations. A common theme is the likelihood of an England vs France Grand Slam decider to take place in Paris, as Super Saturday concludes at the Stade de France. Watson believes that England will prevail in Paris, should the Grand Slam be up for grabs.

“My prediction honestly is an England Grand Slam. I would never write off Ireland because they do have the quality in the squad. But they’re struggling with injuries big time. France have just got so much talent in that squad but again how can they leave out Damien Penaud. He’s been so good. You pick him. He’s too good not to be. But England will win in Paris if it depends on it.”

When asked for his final line-up (from first to sixth), for the 2026 Six Nations, Watson said; England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.

A crucial off-field element that often turns a good team into a great team is ‘culture’. The back-to-back World Cup winning All Blacks of the 2010s and the Springboks of today both embodied a clear, definitive ‘buy-in’ culture that helped reap the rewards. Watson said how such a culture is ‘undeniable’, when a side all works towards a clear goal, and pivotal to England’s on-field success.

“It’s undeniable. Steve is very clear on making this a squad-wide effort. And it’s really hard to do that when you have to send people home on Tuesdays to still make you feel part of the squad. But Steve is very switched on, and with Kevin Sinfield in his corner to help with that relationship type stuff, they’ve built something really, really good there.

“You can see it with how the boys are and interact with social media and all the content that goes out and how open they are in their media. That’s a reflection of what you’re building and what the culture is. If you see guys going to do media who are concerned about what to say and give you a straight bat answer and are not being themselves, that tells you something about the culture that’s going on.

“But now you see guys like Ellis Genge, Henry Pollock, Jamie George, just being themselves. It shows you that they’re building something where everyone’s trusting of the environment and that for me says a lot.”

Turning his attention to the back-three, the former England flyer gave his pick as to who should hold down the 11, 14 and 15 jerseys for Steve Borthwick’s side in the coming weeks. England kick off their 2026 Six Nations with a home clash with Wales, with Watson eager to see a unique alteration to fullback.

“Fullback is up in the air. I would like to see Tommy Freeman at fullback, to be honest. I think that he can bring so much back there. He’s used to playing back there. You’ve seen how good he is in the air. He’s got a good kicking game, and I think it frees up having the opportunity to play another, in my opinion, close to world-class player in Tom Roebuck on the wing.

“So, you’ve got Tom Roebuck, Tommy Freeman, Manny Feyi Waboso, and then you can play Ollie Lawrence in the centre. That’s the kind of dynamic I’d like to see.”

Last year, there was no denying that England’s break-out star of the 2025 Six Nations was Henry Pollock. The Northampton Saints man was a bolt from the green, black and gold, as he was ushered into the senior squad for his Test debut, just a matter of weeks after running out in the U20 Six Nations, at the age of just 19. Pollock bagged two tries for England in the closing match against Wales, as the Principality Stadium witnessed the heaviest ever Welsh men’s home defeat, at 68-14.

Pollock’s upward trajectory saw him go on to play a pivotal role in Northampton’s run to the Investec Champions Cup Final, before then being named as the youngest member of Andy Farrell’s touring squad for the 2025 British & Irish Lions. Watson surveyed the current crop of England young-guns and picked out a resident blue, black and white barnstormer who is eyeing up a hot return to the Test match stage as the break-out England star to watch.

“Max Ojomoh will be the breakout star for me. He’s put his hand up as a real starter at 12 for England. You have to factor in the balance of the centres and who he can and can’t necessarily play with and therefore the backline as a unit, but for me he could be the real missing link.

“The 12 position is one that England have yet to find a nailed on starter. Max has got the skills and the capability to hold that position down for a long time. I’d like him to get a good run of games against tough opposition like Scotland away and Ireland at home.”

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