England head coach Steve Borthwick is hopeful his rehabilitation cohort could be available for their Six Nations opener against Wales, but concedes it will be a tight window to get them fully match fit.
Fin Baxter, Ben Curry, Ollie Lawrence, Tom Roebuck and Fin Smith will all travel with the wider 36-man squad to their training camp in Girona next week to continue their rehab, and they could even make a return to training as well.
All six have been key members of the England matchday 23 in the past year, and were expected to again feature prominently this Championship.
‘They’re not far away’
Speaking to members of the media following his squad announcement, Borthwick detailed the sextet were not too far away from returning to the training field.
“By the fact we’re taking them out to this camp shows that they’re not far away from being back on the grass,” he said.
“Whilst we could talk about each one of them individually, I think right now it’s too early to rule them out. I think they’ve got a chance.
However, he admitted the turnaround between now and their Championship opener against Wales on Saturday, February 7, could be too tight.
“For the Wales Test match, I think it would be tight. We’d need the rehab to go really well and tick all the boxes through the process.
“It’s tight, but I think they’re all within a shot of it.”
While he is still a touch unsure over just how many of his rehabbers will be available for the Wales Test in two weeks time, one name that seems primed to feature on the team sheet is George Furbank.
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The Northampton ace has himself struggled with injuries in the past year, suffering a broken arm, concussion and persistent calf issues in an ‘annus horibilis’ – as Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson previously described it – but he has been included in the full 36-man training squad for the Girona camp.
The full-back has been an integral part of the England starting XV since usurping Freddie Steward in the 2024 Six Nations, and despite playing just six competitive games for his club side this season, Borthwick is glad to have him back in contention.
“George worked really hard to come back from injury, and he had eight or nine weeks of consistently playing and training very well through that period,” he said.
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“Two or three weeks later, he had a little knock, but he’s back on the grass and will be involved in some game-time this weekend.
“It’s been a while since he was in the squad, but he’s a super player, a 15 who also offers 10 cover. He has a great understanding of the backs given the number that come from Northampton, so I’m delighted to be able to select him.”
“There is a lot I could say about George, one area I talk about is his decision making of when to run, pass and kick.
“He is superb in that area, and he has the ability to do all three. To have that decision making ability, to be able to see space, to be able to process what is the right thing to do and execute it as quickly and as accurately as he can execute is a huge strength.
“It is a great credit to him, it is great credit to the coaches at Northampton, and there are not too many players who are able to execute that decision-making as quickly as he does.