Steve Borthwick is considering an overhaul of his back line for England’s trip to Italy, with Fin Smith pushing hard to replace George Ford at fly half and several other positions under scrutiny.
The Times understands that final selection meetings will not take place until Sunday and Monday. Seb Atkinson and George Furbank are among a cohort of players hoping to prove fitness and form for their clubs, with both in contention to feature in Rome a week on Saturday, as England look to recover from successive defeats by Scotland at Murrayfield and Ireland at Twickenham.
Alex Mitchell’s hamstring injury will require a change at scrum half and Jack van Poortvliet, who replaced Mitchell in the first half of the 42-21 defeat by Ireland, is in a strong position to start. Ben Spencer and the recalled Raffi Quirke are the two other scrum half options.
Ford has come under scrutiny after England’s defeats against Scotland and Ireland
SHAUN BOTTERILL/GETTY IMAGES
There could be further tweaks in the back three if Tommy Freeman returns to the midfield role he occupied against Wales and Scotland. Henry Arundell has started all three games in this championship so far, but Tom Roebuck was praised by Borthwick for his efforts in training on Wednesday and the Harlequins wing Cadan Murley impressed for England A against Ireland A earlier this month.
Borthwick is said to be mulling over various potential combinations and will stay open-minded until this weekend, though the head coach is typically wary that wholesale changes could lead to an even more disjointed display. The fitness of Ollie Lawrence, who suffered a knee injury against Ireland that has caused him to miss this week’s training sessions, is another factor.
Fin Smith has started once for England, in the autumn victory over Fiji, since impressing as Borthwick’s first-choice fly half in last year’s Six Nations. His only other appearance has been a cameo as a replacement at Murrayfield, with the versatility of Marcus Smith usually preferred on a bench featuring six forwards and two backs.
A 10-12 duo of Fin Smith and Atkinson would reunite a pair of former Worcester Warriors team-mates. The latter impressed on his introduction to the Test arena in Argentina last summer, as England won the series 2-0. Atkinson, 23, seemed poised for further involvement in November until being scuppered by an ankle injury picked up on Gloucester duty at the end of October. Ford was Atkinson’s fly half in Argentina, so there is also familiarity there.
Atkinson is among the players hoping to prove their fitness for their clubs in upcoming fixtures
DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES
Atkinson has not played at all since January 24 and will feature for Gloucester in their Prem Cup outing against Bath at The Rec on Saturday. Borthwick also has the option of an all-Northampton Saints midfield, featuring Fin Smith, Fraser Dingwall and Freeman. Another Saints player, Furbank, last capped by England in November 2024, would be able to add even more club cohesion were he to slot into that back line.
Emmanuel Iyogun, Theo Dan, Billy Sela, Arthur Clark, Chandler Cunningham-South and Murley complete the list of players available for Prem Cup action. Borthwick described Cunningham-South as “very close to the selection frame” and pinpointed the breakdown as an area in which England’s back-rowers would need to improve.
Italy v England
Guinness Six Nations
Saturday, March 7, 4.40pm
TV ITV