England head coach Steve Borthwick has named seven uncapped players in his squad, for the 2024 Guinness Six Nations. There is definitely a feel of a ‘new era’ amongst the England side, with Borthwick preparing for the first test match fixtures of this new Rugby World Cup cycle.
England commence their Six Nations campaign on February 2nd, with an upcoming trip to Rome. Borthwick’s side open their campaign at the Stadio Olympico against Italy, who have also undergone significant changes following the appointment head coach Gonzalo Quesada. The Azzurri will prove to be a tough test for England, yet Borthwick could well utilise the opening weekend as an opportunity to give his newest recruits a chance to shine on the international stage.
With two players from Exeter Chiefs, Northampton Saints, Harlequins and one from Sale Sharks, the uncapped players have been in fine form as the clubs are all in the top half of the Premiership table. There is just one more weekend of club duties for these seven ‘bolters’, before they join up with the England squad in the hopes of a test match debut.
Here are the seven uncapped players in the England squad, for the 2024 Six Nations.
1. Fraser Dingwall – Northampton Saints
The second uncapped Saints talent to make his way into the England fold, Fraser Dingwall has been tearing up the Premiership’s midfield channels this season. Dingwall was first called into a Six Nations squad for the 2020 Championships, yet has not yet progressed into gaining test match game time for England. With the ability to play at both inside and outside centre, Dingwall brings a valuable versatility to the midfield, as Borthwick looks to re-build his back-line following Joe Marchant’s French departure and Manu Tuilagi’s injury uncertainty.
Should Dingwall miss out on being named in the England match-day squad, he could well wear the rose for England A against Portugal. Saints head coach Sam Vesty has been named in George Skivington’s England A coaching staff, and would be all too happy to utilise his centre’s talents against Portugal, should he fall behind Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade in the pecking order.
“So Fraser again, I only worked with him a little bit, he came in a little bit during last year’s Six Nations.” Borthwick said. “When I see him, when you stand back and watch Northampton, the players turn to him. He’s a key leader within that team. You see on the pitch and as you stand back and watch it you see who the players look to, and they look to him. It’s like the way they look to Sladey, at Exeter, the boys look to look to him and he plays very well. 12 or 13, he’s strong, able to distribute in the draw, he’s been really strong in his carry and defence.”
Dingwall was a tide-turning replacement, when Northampton battled back from a 26-0 deficit to win away at Exeter Chiefs three weeks ago. The dramatic 42-36 comeback victory was witnessed live by Borthwick, who was delighted by the competitiveness of the Premiership clash. He believes that matches like that are far more up to test match standard than a one-sided drubbing.
“I remember reflecting towards the end of last season, as I was selecting, looking for selection for the World Cup squad. I was watching a number of games – and seeing the score lines extend out. I thought, this is not the nature of what World Cup rugby is going to be like, this is not test rugby. Test rugby will be so tight, and if we’re playing games where the score line is blown out, this is not preparing the players for what we need to do.
“What I’m seeing now is, every game, every team is fighting for that result. A lot of them, you’re not quite sure how the game’s going to work out. You know, I was there at Exeter v Northampton, you seen the scoring going one way and then you seen a sin-bin, and Northampton come-back. Then you see that second half and you see Northampton find a way to get in front and Exeter jump on the back foot and then Northampton (win). I’m like, ‘right, the nature of the teams trying to find a way to win, thats a significant step forward. I think.”