SECOND ROW
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens)
5. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers)
England will expectedly stick with their strongest lock partnership for the semi-final, with Maro Itoje and Ollie Chessum set to pack down the scrum once again. Amongst all the discussion as to how Borthwick is unsure about his strongest squad along the back-line, the 57-capped England lock certainly knows what his first choice second row pairing is.
Maro Itoje had put in an excellent performance against Fiji, with England fans excited to see the Saracen back hitting his top gear in time for the Rugby World Cup’s knock-out stages. We had seen glimpses of the classic Itoje throughout the pool phases, with the lock getting back to his very best in time for a re-match of the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final.
Expected to partner Itoje for this clash with the Boks, Ollie Chessum has been one of England’s top performers of the pool stages. He delighted England fans by recovering from an untimely ankle injury, after being a star-man in an albeit disappointing 2023 Six Nations. Chessum has been involved in every match of England’s 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign, and it does not look like this trend is going to break in time for the semi-finals.
BACK ROW
6. Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints)
7. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
8. Ben Earl (Saracens)
The back-row discussion is another area of Borthwick’s game-plan that has become increasingly clear-cut throughout the World Cup. Heading into the competition, England fans were left scratching their heads when Billy Vunipola was named as the only specialist number eight and then took a red card suspension to begin the tournament.
Ben Earl has proven to be a more than viable option to pack down the back of the scrum. Earl has been in unplayable form, with his stand-out number eight performances coming against Argentina to open the tournament, and against Fiji with Man of the Match run-outs. Earl made 11 carriers and 14 tackles against Fiji, and presented his adaptability by moving across to flanker, as Vunipola replaced Tom Curry.
The Sale Sharks man should also start in the semi-final, but he needs to watch his discipline against the Springboks. Curry was red-carded two minutes into the opening match against Argentina for a head clash with Juan Cruz Mallia, and was lucky to stay on the pitch against Fiji. Curry was a repeat penalty offender in the quarter-final, but his on-field performance overshadowed these issues which he’ll be ironing out in the training week. Curry made a staggering 19 tackles against Fiji, and topped the charts for the game.
Courtney Lawes has also been in formidable form throughout the Rugby World Cup, having settled in nicely to his leadership roles of co-captain and pack leader. Lawes put in a stunning performance against Fiji and must return to the England blindside for the semi-final. Lawes was England’s top carrier against the Pacific Islanders, with 13 carriers for 72 metres. The Northampton Saints man also controlled the set-piece, and worked well with Itoje to win the ball in the air.
The back injury to Jack Willis has opened the door for a late call-up to Sam Underhill, with the Bath back-row unused against Fiji. It’s hard to say whether Borthwick will give Underhill a seat on the bench, and introduce a new element into the seemingly calmed back-row discussion. Vunipola can have a seismic impact off the bench, and explode across the gain-line in a late ‘bomb squad’ style involvement.
REPLACEMENTS
16. Theo Dan (Saracens)
17. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)
18. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
19. George Martin (Leicester Tigers)
20. Billy Vunipola (Saracens)
21. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)
22. George Ford (Sale Sharks)
23. Marcus Smith (Harlequins)