Newly appointed England Head Coach Steve Borthwick, has gotten off to a losing start in charge at Twickenham. In the opening match of the 2023 Guinness Six Nations, Borthwick’s men were defeated by a resolute Scottish side 29-23. The Calcutta Cup remains in Scotland, with Borthwick now turning his attention to this Sunday’s opponents, Italy.
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The ‘Azzurri’ have proven to their Six Nations critics that they should not be taken lightly. An unexpected and impressive outing against reigning Six Nations Champions France, saw Italy take ‘Les Bleus’ to the wire, in a hotly contested match. Securing a losing bonus point, with a 24-29 narrow defeat, Italy will be looking to write the wrongs at Twickenham, and pick up their first win of the competition.
So, lets move on from England’s opening weekend, and look to this Sunday. This is who Steve Borthwick should select for England’ round two Six Nations clash, with Italy.
Back Three
Max Malins is nailed on to the number 14 shirt, and should again start for Borthwick against Italy. Scoring twice against Scotland, Malins’ presented himself as a versatile winger, able to finish off attacking moves out wide, or use his power on moves back in-field. His diving catch for Marcus Smith’s cross-field-kick was demonstrated great skill to execute.
Freddie Steward again impressed at full-back, and Borthwick is unlikely to drop his Leicester Tigers player. Showcasing great power in the collision, Steward’s highlights of the Scotland match were mostly ball carrying breaks. Ollie Hassell-Collins did impress on his England debut, yet a proven international try-scorer is required to settle the nerves against Italy. With Anthony Watson is back to full match fitness, Borthwick should call up the winger, who’s experience can help guide England to their first victory of the championship.
15. Freddie Steward
14. Max Malins
11. Anthony Watson
Centres
Once again keep Owen Farrell outside of Marcus Smith, as the two have to be on the pitch at the same time. Farrell is versatile, and has proven that he can slot into the centres with ease. Farrell was aggressive in the middle of the park against Scotland, and was able to allow Smith to take the lead. The power struggle has settled, with Farrell’s tackling, ball distribution and running lines benefiting the England centre-field.
Partnering Farrell should be Bath’s Ollie Lawrence. On the bench against Scotland, England need Lawrence to start from the first minute. Currently, Lawrence is England’s top choice for a bruising, ball-carrying outside centre, with Tuilagi not at his best. Joe Marchant was not firing on all cylinders against Scotland, as Duhan van der Merwe brushed passed his tackle attempts to score.
13. Ollie Lawrence
12. Owen Farrell