"Out for the Entirety" - England's 2025 Six Nations Squad: 'Makers & Breakers'

The immediate top line sees an end to Jamie George's run as England captain, with his Saracens teammate Maro Itoje taking up the reins for the upcoming competition.

There has been plenty of speculation that this change was coming, given how the 2024 Summer tour and Autumn Nations Series played out with the England hooker at the helm. George would depart the pitch in the second half having emptied the tank, with his side capitulating for an eventual defeat in the closing stages of the match.

Question marks were raised regarding the need for a captain who plays the full 80, with such a pattern of late-collapses witnessed in the two-match Test series against New Zealand, and again in the home defeat to the All Blacks in November. The pattern continued in Autumn defeats to Australia and South Africa, with Itoje now taking up the mantle to be an 80-minute skipper.

Throughout the England squad, there are plenty of players who have either made the grade, or failed to secure a spot in the wider training group. Here are the five 'Make and Break' players from the latest England squad announcement.

The first of two uncapped players called up by Steve Borthwick, Harlequins wing Cadan Murley will be hoping to make the short trip from the Twickenham Stoop to the Allianz Stadium for an England debut in the upcoming competition. Murley has been in and around the England camp since Borthwick first took over from Eddie Jones, as the wing hit electric form as the 2022/23 Premiership's top try scorer.

Murley was included in the wider training squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, yet was unable to book himself a place for France as England returned as eventual bronze medalists. The 25-year-old has once again been in hot form for the Londoners this season, with nine tries to his name in eleven appearances in the famous quarters. A shoulder injury to Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has forced Borthwick to cast his eye across the Premiership's top wings, with Bristol flyer Gabriel Ibitoye set to recover from injury within the England squad environment.

Sticking with the called up Quins, and Oscar Beard is back in the England camp with his sights set on a long awaited Test match debut. The versatile back-line player was initially included in the 36-man squad for the 2024 Guinness Six Nations, yet was unable to progress any further than the training squad for last year's Championship. The 23-year-old earned international honours with England A this past November, as he ran out for the full 80 minutes in the win over Australia A, in Beard's own back yard of the Stoop.

For Harlequins, Beard has been in solid form once again this season, with head coach Danny Wilson predominently unleashing his man in the outside centre channel. However, Beard's ability to also slot in on the wing adds an extra string to his bow, that Borthwick can catapult onto the pitch from a utility role in the 23 shirt. Beard faces tough competition for a Test match start in the centres, with Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade the first choice midfielders throughout 2024. However, the future bodes well for Beard as he is called into the squad once again, and is once more included ahead of Bath's Max Ojomoh.

Having been in barnstorming form for Saracens this season, England fans are delighted to see Tom Willis named in the 36-man squad for the 2025 Men's Six Nations. Willis has had a real resurgence of form in the 2024/25 Premiership campaign, after a lengthy injury lay off curtailed his return to England after a season with Bordeaux-Begles, following the financial collapse of Wasps. Willis has been collecting plenty of Player of the Match medals this season, as the first choice number eight for Mark McCall's men.

Willis' involvement in the squad raises questions as to how Steve Borthwick will unleash both him and Ben Earl in the upcoming competition. Willis and Earl have been a cohesive unit in the Saracens back row, with Earl playing the majority of his club matches on the flanks, whilst Willis takes the lead in the eight jersey. This differs from how Earl is utilised as England's number eight, with a potential shuffling of the England back row in store if Borthwick aims to unleash both of his bruisers from North London.

The fourth man who's made the grade for the 2025 Six Nations, despite some question marks regarding his fitness is Gabriel Ibitoye. The Bristol Bears wing has been named as a rehabilitation player in Borthwick's wider training squad, in the hopes that he overcomes his leg injury towards the latter stages of the competition. Ibitoye was initially handed a six-week spell on the side-lines after sustaining the knock earlier this month, with the door still open ajar for the former Harlequins wing.

Whilst Ibitoye will not feature for the first half of the competition at the least, the fact that he has been included in the squad bodes well for his future in Borthwick's plans. Ibitoye has enjoyed a tremendous run of form so far in the Premiership, with the October Player of the Month award encapsulating his purple-patch. The wing depth chart has dwindled in the absence of Manny Feyi-Waboso, who is set to undergo a shoulder operation and miss the entirety of the upcoming Six Nations. Should Ibitoye make a comeback in time for the final few rounds of the tournament in March, the flyer could well return to Ashton Gate a newly capped England squad member.

Borthwick has shaken up the tight-head ranks in 2025, with no place for veteran prop Dan Cole in the entire wider training squad. This opens up the door for Bevan Rodd, as the Sale Sharks man eyes up a return to the England squad after an injury kept him out of action throughout the Autumn Nations Series. Rodd succumbed to tendinopathy in his foot, as a result of an overuse injury that could have been the result of an intial scrummaging issue.

However, the prop is now back in the England squad, and is looking to win his first Test cap since England's Summer tour of Japan and New Zealand. An honourable mention is in store for Gloucester prop Afolabi Fasogbon, who despite being injured for the 2025 Six Nations, has been named to complete his rehabilitation within the England camp. Rodd has been joined by Joe Heyes and Will Stuart to compete for the three jersey, with a new look front row in store for the upcoming competition.

All signs were pointing towards a senior England call-up for Henry Pollock, yet the back row ranks proved too strong for the 20-year-old to make the grade. The back row learned the news of his England squad omission on his 20th birthday, with Borthwick finding no place in his 36-man squad for the highly rated youngster. Pollock has been a highly touted prospect since captaining the England U20s squad to glory in the 2024 U20 World Championships and Six Nations, yet the Northampton man will have to further bide his time before he wears the rose at a senior level.

Pollock has not been without his England honors, as he progressed from the U20s fold into a starring role in Mark Mapletoft's England A team last November. Pollock picked up yet another Player of the Match award as he shone in the England A win over Australia A at the Twickenham Stoop, in what was the back-row's maiden run out at the home of the Harlequins. With a mass of experience under his belt at such a young age, the future looks bright for Pollock. Perhaps an inclusion in England's Summer tour of Argentina and USA could provide the opportunity for an England debut.

It's a tough break for veteran tight-head Dan Cole, as the 118-capped prop missed out on a place in England's 36-man training squad. With the afformentioned trio of Bevan Rodd, Joe Heyes and Will Stuart selected ahead of the Leicester Tigers man, question marks will be raised regarding Cole's future in the England squad. At 37-years-old, Cole is undoubtedly looking towards the twilight of his career, and publicly expressed how he was surprised to see his long time friend Joe Marler retire from rugby before he decided to hang up the boots.

Cole is reportedly on Steve Borthwick's speed-dial, should the England head coach need to call in a prop to bolster the ranks, with versatile loose-head and tight-head option Asher Opoku-Fordjour retaining his place in Borthwick's plans after his Autumn Series debut against Japan. The torch could well have been passed from Cole to the next generation, with only time set to tell what the future has in store for England's second-most capped men's player. England fans would love to give Cole the deserved send off, similar to what Marler recieved from the Harlequins faithful towards the end of last year, yet no plans are in place just yet for the much loved 'Cola Bear' to call time on his career.

With Northampton Saints scrum half Alex Mitchell back in action for green, black and gold, something had to give regarding England's halfback ranks. The first choice option for England's nine jersey since his emergence at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Mitchell has slotted seamlessly back into Borthwick's plans, and is expected to lead the attacking line once again for the 2025 Six Nations. This has pushed out Ben Spencer, with the supporting cast of Jack van Poortvleit and Harry Randall preferred to the Bath man.

It's a tough break for Spencer, who has been in tremendous form in blue, black and white. Over the past season, Spencer has emerged as a real leader of men, with Johann van Graan appointing the halfback as Bath captain. However, such positive signs did not lead towards a reoccurring place in the England squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup runner-up, with the Bristol and Leicester options getting the nod ahead of him. However, with such a narrow pecking order, an injury or suspension for a scrum half could see the door swing back open for Spencer before the end of the Six Nations.

Keep an eye out for Max Ojomoh to reinforce the ranks, should England sustain an injury in their midfield throughout the coming campaign. Ojomoh has been a feature of England's training squads as far back as 2021, when Eddie Jones called up the centre for a Six Nations training camp, yet did not progress the Bath man any further. Borthwick had also called upon the powerhouse to bolster the training groups, yet Ojomoh has not yet made his way into a match day 23 for the senior England squad.

One element that plays to Ojomoh's favour for a late call-up into the Six Nations squad, would be his telepathic connection with Ollie Lawrence in the Bath midfield. Should Henry Slade, Fraser Dingwall or perhaps versatile option Tommy Freeman, get ruled out of the tournament, then Ojomoh is surely the next man in line to rock up at Pennyhill Park. The 24-year-old has been in outstanding form in blue, black and white this season, having bounced back from an assortment of injuries that have hindered his momentum in recent years.

Wrapping up our list of England squad 'breakers', is a third and final member of Johan van Graan's Bath side. Sam Underhill has been ruled out of the 2025 Men's Guinness Six Nations, after sustaining an ankle injury in a Premiership clash with reigning champions Northampton Saints. Underhill picked up the issue whilst providing the assist for Max Ojomoh's try at Franklin's Gardens, with his latest diagnosis proving worse than what was originally thought around the Rec.

Borthwick confirmed this afternoon that Underhill will miss the entirety of the 2025 Six Nations, yet the back row will remain with the England squad to complete his rehabilitation. It's an unfortunate one for the flanker who battled hard to return to the squad throughout the Autumn Nations Series, having wrestled for the six shirt with Chandler Cunningham-South. We sadly won't see a return of the revered 'Under-Curry' back row partnership, whilst Tom Curry has been named within Borthwick plans for the tournament.

From the early days of professionalism to the modern era, England has seen a host of legendary captains wearing the armband.

Whether it's the grit of Will Carling in the 90s, the tactical brilliance of Martin Johnson, or the fearless leadership of Owen Farrell, this quiz will challenge even the most dedicated fans.

Think you can name them all? Grab your boots and let's see how well you know the men who led England into battle on the world stage!