- There is a lot of exciting young talent in the England rugby team.
- Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Marcus Smith and Tommy Freeman have progressed well.
Like Gareth Southgate and his England counterparts, Steve Borthwick and England’s rugby stars have some very exciting and potentially decisive matches ahead of them in the coming weeks.
The similarities between the two teams are striking. Both are full of exciting young players with good, natural ability.
Read about Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka in football and Marcus Smith, Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso in rugby. There are other players to like in Borthwick’s team, particularly Fin Smith and George Martin.
Rightly or wrongly, Southgate and Borthwick have a reputation for pragmatism and a defensive mindset. If they want to be successful this summer, they’ll have to throw that approach out the window.
It was particularly positive that Borthwick chose George Furbank at full-back for the Six Nations, replacing Freddie Steward, who many thought could not be left out. Let’s hope that with Feyi-Waboso’s success, Borthwick has the confidence to throw the kitchen sink at Japan and New Zealand this summer.
Emmanuel Pay-Waboso is one of the exciting youngsters England could call upon.
Marcus Smith is another talented player who could make a big impact.
Tommy Freeman is a player with a special talent who can play both wing and center.
I am encouraged by their progress. Towards the end of the Six Nations, we saw the team ditch the kickfest approach that marred the end of the Eddie Jones era. Against Ireland and France, England attacked with the speed and intensity everyone wanted to see.
Borthwick seems eager to continue down that path. With either Marcus or Fin Smith leading the team from number 10 and Freeman and Feyi-Waboso out wide, England have a back division looking to play fast and cause real damage. The big question is: Can the forwards do the same? With the right guidance, they can do it. However, England’s team still lags behind the top teams. This summer is a tremendous opportunity to bridge the gap.
An international coach’s greatest skill is selection. Southgate is pondering how to fit all of his talented strikers into one team. Borthwick has big concerns about who Smith will choose at flyhalf. The part that Borthwick considers the most is the 10-12-13 axis. He needs to make it right.
Now that Manu Tuilagi is unavailable, this is an opportunity to move on from a period in which, apart from a few standout performances, they did not deliver as promised. Tuilagi’s availability often became an unnecessary distraction.
With the talent England have, it is essential that their midfielders start to come into action. Henry Slade still has an important role to play. I would place Marcus Smith at flyhalf alongside the center pairing of Slade and Freeman.
Freeman is special and can play both wing and center. It reminds me of Ben Cohen, who has an exquisite combination of power and timing. Ollie Lawrence has been fantastic, providing a physical presence and will no doubt be part of the midfield conversation.
But playing Slade at 12 gives Marcus Smith a second kicking option and plenty of experience.
Henry Slade still plays a big role and provides a second kicking option for 12-year-old Smith.
Ollie Sleightholme deserves a start after his surprise emergence as the Premiership’s leading scorer.
I would play Feyi-Waboso and Ollie Sleightholme on the wings. The former is an established starter while Sleightholme has emerged from nowhere to finish as the Premiership’s leading scorer.
It’s an exciting summer full of sport and English rugby needs to show why it can still be a blockbuster attraction. This signals that for the first time, traditional broadcasters will not be broadcasting England matches in Japan.
New Zealand is one of the toughest places to play international rugby, but this will be a great opener. England will be fine with them, but they can do that and I’m excited to see them play.
My England XV: G Furbank; I Feyi-Waboso, T Freeman, H Slade, O Sleightholme; M Smith, A Mitchell; J Marler, J George (Captain), D Cole, M Itoje, G Martin, T Curry, B Earl, S Underhill.
