In recent weeks, there have been whisperings and private conversations in Twickenham’s board rooms about England’s style of play.
During their disastrous Six Nations campaign, yielding just one win from five, the national squad’s players were weighed down by Steve Borthwick’s prescriptive game plan. Feedback from the RFU’s post-Championship review was kept private, or at least off-the-record, but Northampton coach Sam Vesty offered the most critical insight on a drivetime interview on BBC Radio Northampton.
‘Why aren’t we seeing a free rugby team when there is something on the cards?’ asked Vesty, who is a confidant for the likes of Tommy Freeman, Henry Pollock and Fin Smith.
‘All of the other countries have weight of expectation. Scotland move the ball, Italy move the ball. All those teams, if I asked you what their identity was, you could pretty clearly say something, couldn’t you? I’m not sure you could say that with England at the moment.’
Having survived the RFU’s in-house review process, Steve Borthwick’s first training squad since the Six Nations contains all the tools for a positive game plan.
Benhard Janse van Rensburg is the most notable inclusion in Steve Borthwick’s squad
George Martin has quickly returned to form after a long-term injury and can bring the physicality that England will desperately need against South Africa
He has loaded his squad with uncapped players such as Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Archie McParland and Noah Caluori. They do not carry scar tissue from the Six Nations and consistently play with attacking intent for their clubs. Borthwick’s challenge is to transfer that over to the Test arena.
England’s contestable kicking strategy yielded results in the autumn of 2025 but the game has already moved on. Lee Blackett was regarded as a liberal attacking coach before he joined England and the consensus seems to be that he will be given more input into things moving forward.
Smith is England’s incumbent No 10 this summer. For Northampton, the fly-half conducts a daring, attacking game, loaded with brave passes that put his wingers into space to score.
England adopted a similar approach in their final round Test against France in the Six Nations but, as Vesty pointed out, that was when they had already been written off.
They will also be underdogs for their next game in South Africa. Public support for Borthwick is low and the supporters will be unforgiving if England return from a kick-fest 16-15 defeat, like the 2023 World Cup semi-final.
Borthwick’s players must showcase their potential in the upcoming Nations Cup games. The onus is on tactics as much as selection.
George Furbank, a full-back who is so influential at Northampton, should start in England’s No 15 jersey
George Furbank and George Martin are the two players pushing for immediate inclusion. Furbank, the full-back, is central to Northampton’s attacking gameplan and should start in the No 15 jersey.
Martin, the lock, has quickly returned to form after a long-term injury and can bring the physicality that England will desperately need against South Africa.
With Luke Cowan-Dickie injured, Borthwick must also find an understudy hooker to Jamie George. Kepu Tuipulotu is a prized asset in the production line but the question is whether England can find a hybrid solution to his lineout wobbles.
As revealed by Daily Mail Sport last week, South African-born centre Van Rensburg is now in the mix for selection. His Bristol side’s 94-33 mauling by Northampton on Friday night was bad timing for the midfielder, who becomes eligible for the second Nations Championship Test against Fiji and could also play in the uncapped warm-up game with a French XV.
Van Rensburg has been one of the most consistent attackers in the league over the past few years. With Bath’s Max Ojomoh surprisingly left out of the squad once again, Van Rensburg must be given the chance to replicate his gung-ho performances that he regularly delivers for his club.
Ojomoh’s Bath team-mates Henry Arundell and Ollie Lawrence have paid the price for their poor Six Nations, although they feel like fall-guys for the prescriptive game plan.
Bath team-mates Henry Arundell (left) and Ollie Lawrence have paid the price for their poor Six Nations
Winger Adam Radwan’s selection is long overdue but with Caluori and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso back in the mix, England are not short of wingers who can play with style.
Borthwick survived his review after selling his vision for the next 18 months. Two wins from three is the expectation on England’s coach this summer. Nobody is expecting England to beat South Africa in Johannesburg, but rounds two and three against Fiji and Argentina have become must-win fixtures.
He desperately needs his team to return to winning ways and, with his latest selections, there will be an expectation to do it with style too.