Dan Cole reveals Mike Tindall’s dwarf-tossing ‘stag do’ during 2011 World Cup

At the heart of the scandal was Manu Tuilagi’s daring leap into Auckland Harbour, which led to his arrest and an hour-long detention by police. But that wasn’t the only drama from the trip.

The England squad was also seen indulging in heavy drinking in Queenstown, even attending a dwarf-tossing event at a local pub.

Cole, reflecting on the experience, said: "As a young player, you learn. The squad learns what you can and can't do. If you make mistakes, they don't just last a day – they can haunt you for your entire career."

He added that his 2011 World Cup experience taught him the importance of staying focused. "In 2011, it was easy to get swept up in the occasion.

"You’re in Auckland, you’re in Queenstown, and everything just blends together. But looking back, I realise we messed up. If I could do it again, I’d definitely do things differently."

The veteran prop also stressed the importance of trust within the squad, saying, “If you mess up, you’re out. So no one f***s up… or at least, you try not to."

Forwards:
Fin Baxter (Harlequins)
Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers)
Alex Coles (Northampton Saints)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks)
Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins)
Ben Curry (Sale Sharks)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
Theo Dan (Saracens)
Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)
Ben Earl (Saracens)
Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)
Jamie George (Saracens)
Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers)
Ted Hill (Bath Rugby)
Maro Itoje (Saracens)
George Martin (Leicester Tigers)
Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks) 
Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints)
Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks)
Will Stuart (Bath Rugby)
Tom Willis (Saracens)

Backs:
Oscar Beard (Harlequins)
Elliot Daly (Saracens)
Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints)
George Ford (Sale Sharks)
Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)
Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby)
Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)
Harry Randall (Bristol Bears)
Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks) 
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints)
Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby)
Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)

Borthwick will be looking to keep the momentum rolling for his side, after a milestone victory last time out, as England achieved a shock win against the odds over France at the Allianz Stadium. England are off the mark in the 2025 Guinness Men's Six Nations, thanks to the last ditch heroics of Elliot Daly, and the on-point marksmanship of England's newest back line-leader Fin Smith.

All eyes have now turned to Scotland, with England preparing to end their run of consecutive defeats to Gregor Townsend's side. The Calcutta Cup has begun to collect dust after being sat in the Scottish trophy cabinet for the past four years, with England adamant to get the iconic piece of silverware back down to the south side of the border on Saturday. All the while, the Scots eye up a historic fifth win in a row against their old Anglo enemies, and send Borthwick's men back to the drawing board 'tae think again'.

Here is an updated look at who we think Borthwick will select, after the latest 36-man squad was named on Sunday evening.

UPDATED SQUAD PREDICTION: STEVE BORTHWICK'S ENGLAND TEAM TO FACE SCOTLAND - 2025 GUINNESS MEN'S SIX NATIONS

With Manny Feyi-Waboso now out of the training squad, Borthwick can start to craft up the proverbial 'plan B' as no return is in store just yet for the Exeter wing. Ollie Sleightholme was impressive upon his return to the England squad last week, as he showcased both his revered attacking intensity and a fearlessness for the 'argy bargy' of the Test match stage. Whilst Sleightholme's altercation with France wing Damien Penaud took the immediate spotlight, the Saints man lit up the pitch with some excellent line breaks, and expressed his claim to the eleven jersey for the Calcutta Cup clash.

In Feyi-Waboso's continued absence, Sleightholme has emerged as the next best left wing option for Borthwick to unleash along the touchline. We've predicted the 15 and 14 shirts to remain unchanged from the side that beat France, with Marcus Smith and Tommy Freeman returning to the starting XV. Whilst Smith had an underwhelming afternoon from the kicking tee, the Harlequin lit up the Allianz with some devastating kick returns deep from the back-field.

Freeman was also excellent in the win over Les Bleus, with his stand-out moment being a top-rate try, as he collaborated with his Saints teammate Fin Smith, to collect and ground a kick to the corner. Freddie Steward could well slot back in to the replacement backs, and we've predicted the fullback to hold down the 23 shirt for Saturday's battle with Scotland.

The tried and test midfield is once again our predicted England partnership, with Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence exuding an impressive combination against Fabien Galthie's side. The latest squad update sees Fraser Dingwall return to the training squad, yet the Northampton Saints man is more likely to be running out for England A this weekend. The 'A' team are set to take on Ireland A this Sunday at Ashton Gate, with Dingwall a leading candidate to captain the side, after the midfielder skipped for Mark Mapletoft's team against Australia A in the Autumn.

Hammering home the idea that Borthwick likes his England axes to share their club colours, is the halfback partnership of Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith. Northampton's finest were both in awe-inspiring form against the French, and we can see no reason (injuries permitting) why both men would miss out on a return to the starting XV to face Scotland.

Mitchell has been Borthwick's first choice scrum half since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, after being an injury replacement for Jack van Poortvleit for the trip to France. Mitchell slotted right back into the starting XV after a lengthy lay-off with a neck injury, that ruled the Northampton halfback out of the 2024 Autumn Nations Series. Micthell returned ahead of the 2025 Six Nations, and immediately leapfrogged van Portvleit, Harry Randall and Ben Spencer to once again be England's number nine.

Fin Smith was mesmeric upon his first England start, as Borthwick finally pulled the trigger on the highly rated fly half. The mercurial management of his back-line, despite being just 22-years-old, certainly put the likes of George Ford and Marcus Smith on notice, as the former found no place in the match day 23, and the latter could well become part of the fullback furniture should Fin keep up this form.

FRONT ROW

There are no changes to our predicted England front row, to the side that packed down against France. The monstrous Uini Atonio asked plenty of questions of Ellis Genge, yet the Bristol Bears man was able to hold his own against the 145kg La Rochelle man. Fin Baxter struggled upon his first scrum with the colossal tight-head, yet made amends with a stand-out score that was his first as an England player.

We've once again started Luke Cowan-Dickie at hooker, with Jamie George set for another immense contribution off the bench. There's no denying how in the modern Test match stage, the replacement forwards are by no means off a lesser quality than the starting pack, with Borthwick utilising George amongst his own Springbok inspired 'Bomb Squad' last weekend.

We expect Will Stuart to retain his place as England's starting tight-head, in what will be the 50th cap for the Bath prop. In support of Stuart will likely once again be Joe Heyes, as the Leicester Tigers man was named in the recent 28-man training squad and Asher Opoku-Fordjour was let go back to Sale. It's been an interesting Six Nations for the England front row, as with no involvement for Dan Cole, and Joe Marler's 2024 retirement, we have certainly entered a new era for the leading England props.

The first name in the predicted team sheet is of course Maro Itoje, with England's new captain getting off to winning ways upon home soil. It was a brilliant first home run at the helm for the Saracen, with Itoje eyeing up back-to-back Allianz Stadium victories under his tenure.

A tougher starting place to predict is who will be Itoje's partner in the engine room, after George Martin was listed upon England's injury rehabilitation list. However, the Tigers man has made a full return to match fitness, with the door for a starting jersey closing on his Welford Road teammate Ollie Chessum. There's no doubt that Chessum had an immense impact off the bench in the win against France, and would be an appropriate option if Martin is a step off the pace.

It's a tough call, given how Martin is amongst the toughest rugby players in the Premiership and has no regard for his own safety. We expect a Deadpool style recovery from the Leicester lock, and after being named match fit for the entire training week, we predict the locking partnership of Martin and Itoje to be utilised for the Calcutta Cup clash.

Another tough area to decipher is England's back row, as Tom Curry was initially named as the third player on England's injury rehab list, yet has made a recovery to full match fitness for the training week. The Sale Sharks man put in some serious shift against Les Bleus, with his sore shoulders feeling the effects of a clinic of tackles and breakdown brilliance.

We've opted for Tom to start alongside his twin brother Ben Curry on the flanks this weekend, with the siblings set for only their second start alongside each other in England colours. The Curry's tore up at the Aviva Stadium in the opening round against Ireland, and Borthwick would only be delighted to make Scotland see double upon their arrival at the Allianz.

The dreadlocked juggernaut Chandler Cunningham-South is our pick for the replacements bench, with the Harlequin not quite getting the starring role he would have hoped for so far in the Six Nations. Wrapping up the back three is once again Ben Earl, with no space in the starting line-up this week for Tom Willis. Despite the efficiency of the Saracens partnership against France, we can see Borthwick unleash Earl in eight-man role to begin with, before Willis explodes off the bench and moves his Sarries teammate along to the flank. Willis has been a breath of fresh air for England this Six Nations, and put in a tremendous showing upon his first start for his country last weekend.