3. Three Fly Halves Selected, But In What Order?
Borthwick’s worst-kept secret was that he will be taking three fly halves to the Rugby World Cup, with Owen Farrell, George Ford and Marcus Smith being relative shoe-ins for the three vacancies. The only fly half to occupy the fringes of the England squad is Fin Smith, however the Northampton Saints halfback failed to get on the pitch for the 2023 Six Nations, and promptly returned to Franklin’s Gardens.
The England fly half selection saga reached a fever-pitch in the latest Six Nations, with Farrell dropped to the bench in favour of Smith in the colossal defeat to France, before he was then released back to Harlequins. Smith then fought back with a vengeance, starring against Exeter Chiefs at Twickenham under Borthwick’s orders for him to ‘boss a game.’
Farrell was sat down for the recent clash with Wales at the Principality Stadium, with Smith entrusted to lead the line in Cardiff. Ford replaced the Harlequins flyer from the bench, and ran-out for the final twenty minutes in England’s defeat. This could well be the England pecking order for Farrell’s understudies, with a Farrell-Smith-Ford hierarchy looking all but established.
However, the ongoing question remains if Borthwick will utilise the tried and tested Ford-Farrell 10-12 partnership, that took England to the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final, and won the 2020 Six Nations title.
4. Only One of Three Debutants Makes the Grade After Wales Defeat
Out of the three England debutants that took to the Principality Stadium, just one has progressed into Borthwick’s 2023 Rugby World Cup squad. Saracens hooker Theo Dan has been included in the 33-man group, with the back-row duo of Tom Willis and Tom Pearson falling to the wayside.
Dan had a ‘coming of age’ performance in the 2023 Premiership Final, as he was ushered on sooner than expected following an early injury to Jamie George. The 22-year-old was instrumental in Saracens’ title securing campaign, with the Premiership Final performance igniting his road to an England debut. Dan is in the perfect environment to thrive in the England camp, as he re-joins up with his Saracens mentor George.
Northampton Saints loose forward Tom Pearson misses out, despite having a phenomenal season with his former club London Irish. He was awarded the Premiership Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year Award, yet the 23-year-old was unable to follow up on this momentum with his England debut. It’s a disappointing cut for England fans, who have been clambering to see Pearson run out for his country.
Tom Willis won’t be joining his brother Jack in the World Cup squad, after his debut against Wales failed to change the mind of Borthwick’s selection plans. There’s a lot of excitable buzz around Willis, as he returns to the Premiership after the collapse of Wasps. The 24-year-old will be making his Saracens debut sooner than he hoped, as he leaves Bordeaux whilst England head over to France.