Makers and Breakers: England team to play Scotland in 2025 Six Nations

Borthwick has named a relatively unchanged side, from the one side that triumphed over France at the Allianz Stadium. From a personnel perspective, England are presenting a good deal of consistency within their selections, with just one change present from the starting XV. In the locks, Ollie Chessum comes in to start in the second row, for the first time since the same fixture from the 2024 Six Nations.

Chessum starts ahead of his Leicester Tigers teammate George Martin, who after being initially named upon the rehab training list, has battled back for a place amongst the replacements this week. The other two injury rehabilitation questions have been answered, as Tom Curry has been given the all clear to start on the flank, whilst Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has been returned back to his club for a weekend of R&R in Exeter. Here is a breakdown of the 'makers and breakers', for the England team to take on Scotland in the third round of the Six Nations.

15. Marcus Smith 14. Tommy Freeman 13. Ollie Lawrence 12. Henry Slade 11. Ollie Sleightholme 10. Fin Smith 9. Alex Mitchell 1. Ellis Genge 2. Luke Cowan-Dickie 3. Will Stuart 4. Maro Itoje 5. Ollie Chessum 6. Tom Curry 7. Ben Earl 8. Tom Willis

16. Jamie George 17. Fin Baxter 18. Joe Heyes 19. George Martin 20. Chandler Cunningham-South 21. Ben Curry 22. Harry Randall 23. Elliot Daly

The immediate stand-out from Steve Borthwick's newly named side, is the decision to give Ollie Chessum a start in the England engine room. Chessum comes in for his Tigers teammate Martin, which is the sole change for Borthwick's squad, and after a litany of knee and ankle injury issues, Chessum would be chomping at the bit to get started against the Scots. It is an interesting sense of coming full circle for the Midlanders bruiser, as England vs Scotland at Murrayfield from the 2024 Six Nations, was the last time Chessum started in the second row for England.

It's brilliant to see Tom Curry continue his run with the England team, after the Sale Sharks man overcame a career-threatening hip injury at the end of last season. Curry battled back from the operation, and even with an altered training load at England's Bagshot training base, the back row is hitting his top form in time for the Calcutta Cup clash. Whilst Curry will not start alongside his twin brother Ben on the flanks, the Sale captain has been named on the subs bench for the match.

Another notable player returning to the England XV from the win over France, is Northampton Saints wing Ollie Selightholme. The flyer has emerged as more than just the man to make up the numbers in the absence of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, with Sleightholme presenting bountiful reasons for why Borthwick should retain him in the squad, even when the Exeter Chiefs man makes his comeback. Sleightholme's altercation with Damien Penaud took the headlines from 'Le Crunch', with England fans hopeful to see Sleightholme's name in lights for all the right reasons in the Calcutta Cup clash.

Back to lead the line for the second week in a row, Fin Smith is certainly taking the newfound responsibility of being England's 10 in his stride. Smith was awarded his first Test match start in the hard-fought win over France, with the Northampton Saints fly half nailing the crucial conversion to seal the win over the valient visitors. Smith and Alex Mitchell are back to orchestrate the attack with a dosing of green, black and gold, with fellow Saints Ollie Sleightholme and Tommy Freeman set to chase after Smith's cross-field kicks that pepper the Scottish corners.

Another man who made his first England start in the win over France, Tom Willis' first hit-out from kick-off in England colours flew under the radar for many. When compared to the headline making antics of Fin Smith, Tom Willis' first blow-out as England's eight-man was well received, with his Saracens partnership with Ben Earl complimenting his offensive and defensive efforts. Willis returns to start at the back of the England pack, with Chandler Cunningham-South and Ben Curry feeling the butterfly effects on the replacements bench.

It's another omission of the match day 23 for Freddie Steward, with no space for the fullback in the second week in a row. It's a tough pill for the Leicester Tigers man to take, as even in the absence of England's regular starting 15 George Furbank, Steward is unable to make a dent on the replacements list , thanks to Borthwick's preference of a 6-2 substitutes split. Steward misses out with Marcus Smith set for another run in the back-field, with the Saracens multi-tool Elliot Daly rounding off the bench at 23.

It was revealed on Sunday night, that there would be no place in the squad for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso in this current training week. There were plenty of hopes that the Exeter Chiefs flyer was set for a late Six Nations push, after Feyi-Waboso turned down a shoulder oporation in favour of a rehab involvement with the England squad, however the plans have gone no further for the time being. With no Premiership Rugby Cup fixtures this week for quarter-finalists Exeter, Feyi-Waboso will enjoy a relaxed weekend in Devon, before continuing his comeback as England enter their second fallow week.

The only change this week in the England team, George Martin takes a seat amongst the replacements despite the previous speculation that he may play no part on Saturday. So even though Martin is listed as a 'breaker', given how he has been taken out of the starting team, the silver lining sees the Leicester lock make a solid enough recovery to get the nod for the bench this Saturday. The latest reports from Steve Borthwick state that Martin had reduced involvement in training last week, ahead of his return to fitness.

It's another missed week of action for George Ford, in what has become an all too familiar feeling for the man who used to lead England's back-line. The Sale Sharks man has been pushed to the edge of the match day squad, with new-coming halfback Fin Smith taking charge of the 10 shirt for the second week in a row. There is no denying the experience and influence that Ford has instilled upon the England team, yet it's another tough omission for the 31-year-old.

After impressing across both the back row and in the centres for Harlequins this past weekend, Alex Dombrandt was called back up into the England squad following a strong showing in the Premiership Rugby Cup. However, Dombrandt has not made the grade for the match day 23, with Borthwick impressed by how Tom Willis is progressing as England's first choice eight-man. Even with the 6-2 split, there is no space on the bench for the back row bruiser from the Stoop.