Steve Borthwick has challenged his England squad to inspire supporters to flood across the Channel to Paris for a potential championship-deciding finale, as he named a 36-man selection for the 2026 Guinness Six Nations that blends proven experience with emerging talent.
Riding an 11-match winning streak that represents their finest sustained form in over a decade, England enter the tournament as genuine title contenders for the first time since their Covid-disrupted triumph in 2020. Maro Itoje will captain the side, with centurions Jamie George and George Ford providing the experienced spine around which Borthwick hopes to build a championship challenge.
The squad announcement, made at Twickenham on Friday, revealed three uncapped players: Exeter Chiefs number eight Greg Fisilau, Bath tighthead prop Vilikesa “Billy” Sela, and Northampton Saints loosehead Emmanuel Iyogun. All three are products of England’s pathway system and have impressed at age-grade and England A level.
New faces emerge from injury crisis
The inclusion of the uncapped trio owes much to necessity as well as merit, with injuries decimating England’s front-row resources. Will Stuart, who earned British and Irish Lions selection last summer, is ruled out of the entire championship with a ruptured Achilles, while Sale’s Asher Opoku-Fordjour is similarly unavailable due to a shoulder injury.
Sela, at just 20 years old, is the youngest member of the squad but his 116kg frame makes him every bit as physically imposing as his front-row colleagues. A former back row who converted to prop, the Bath youngster was part of England’s Junior World Championship-winning squad in 2024 alongside Henry Pollock and the injured Opoku-Fordjour.
“I’m really pleased for Billy Sela – his first time in the senior squad – he’s a player of exceptional talent and potential,” said Borthwick. “His point of difference is his remarkable mobility, which he has displayed at both Premiership and international level.”
Fisilau’s selection rewards a blockbuster season with Exeter Chiefs, where his explosive carrying ability has been central to their resurgence under Rob Baxter. The 22-year-old, whose father Keni was a hard-hitting centre for Plymouth Albion and Tonga, ranks third in the Premiership for carries this season and fourth for tackles.
“Exeter have been outstanding and Greg’s work-rate is absolutely exceptional,” Borthwick explained. “The number of carries he makes and his ability to win the gainline and carry tight and wide. He has that athleticism and skill-set. He also has great hands, linking very well.”
Injury clouds gather over key personnel
A quintet of players will travel to the squad’s pre-tournament training camp in Girona for rehabilitation rather than full preparation. Fly-half Fin Smith (calf), centre Ollie Lawrence (knee), wing Tom Roebuck (toe), flanker Ben Curry (hamstring) and loosehead prop Fin Baxter (foot) all face races against time to be fit for the opening fixture against Wales on 7 February.
Lawrence and Baxter are not expected to be available for that Twickenham Test, while Smith’s absence would leave Marcus Smith and George Ford as the only specialist fly-halves in the matchday squad. The injury disruption threatens to blunt the impact of England’s “Pom Squad” – the wave of fresh forwards deployed to devastating effect during the autumn internationals.
“Regarding the props, would we want all the props fit and available that we had playing in the autumn? Yes. Is it the disruption we asked for? No. But have we planned for this? Yes,” Borthwick said. “We have always known the depth chart, always known which players were on it, and we know who is ready to come in.”
Caluori misses out despite prolific form
Perhaps the most eye-catching omission is Saracens wing Noah Caluori, who burst onto the scene with five tries on his Premiership debut earlier in the season and was drafted into the senior squad during the autumn as a training body to replicate Australia’s aerial threat Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.
The 19-year-old, who stands 6ft 5in and possesses remarkable catching ability, underlined his credentials just 24 hours after the squad announcement by scoring four tries in Saracens’ 73-14 demolition of Newcastle. However, Borthwick has opted to allow him to develop further with England Under-20s during the Six Nations window.
Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall, who is stepping down at the end of the season after 15 years in charge, offered a measured assessment of his prodigy: “There are a lot of good England wingers and there are parts of Noah’s game that are very, very high level and there are parts that require a bit of work.”
Other notable absentees include Northampton pair George Hendy and Ollie Sleightholme, with Bath speedster Henry Arundell, Harlequins’ Cadan Murley and the experienced Elliot Daly preferred in the back three. Second row Nick Isiekwe and back-row Jack Kenningham have also been squeezed out amid fierce competition for places.
Eyes on Paris
Borthwick, who was part of the England squad that reached the 2007 Rugby World Cup final in Paris, is embracing the elevated expectations surrounding his side rather than seeking to dampen them.
“We know it’s tight, we know there’s lots of good teams in it,” he said. “We also know the last seven Six Nations Championships have gone down to the last round of fixtures.
“On 14 March in Paris, we want to be in a position entering that game where we can achieve what we’re all aiming to achieve. That’s what we want. We want England fans flooding across the Channel to Paris to come and watch the team in a massive encounter in the final round with the opportunity to achieve what we want.”
England’s last Six Nations title came in the Covid-disrupted 2020 championship, while their most recent Grand Slam was achieved in 2016 – also clinched at the Stade de France under Eddie Jones. The 11-match winning streak, which includes summer victories over Argentina and the USA plus autumn triumphs against Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina, represents their best sustained run since that golden period.
Depth in key positions
Despite the injury concerns, Borthwick is selecting from a position of relative strength compared to recent years. The back row, in particular, bristles with options: Ben Earl, Tom Curry, Chandler Cunningham-South, Sam Underhill, Henry Pollock, Guy Pepper and now Fisilau will compete for three starting spots.
The midfield, once a persistent problem area, now offers genuine depth. Tommy Freeman has transitioned to centre and will compete with Lawrence, Max Ojomoh, Henry Slade, Fraser Dingwall and Seb Atkinson for the inside and outside centre berths.
George Furbank, recalled despite playing only seven matches in the past eight injury-plagued months, provides additional cover at full-back and fly-half. The Northampton man has not added to his 14 caps since November 2024 after suffering two broken arms, a concussion and a niggling calf problem.
“George is back on the grass and will be involved in some game-time for Northampton this weekend,” said Borthwick. “It’s been a while since he was in the squad but he’s a super player, a 15 who also offers 10 cover. His ability to see space, process what is the right thing to do and execute it as quickly and as accurately as he can is a huge strength.”
Lessons from the Red Arrows
Borthwick revealed he spent time with the Red Arrows last month, drawing inspiration from the elite aerobatic team’s approach to selection and performance.
“The lead pilot basically said: ‘Every one of these pilots is a great pilot. What we’re going to select on is the character of these people.’ I thought how great that is and how consistent that is with what we do,” he said.
“I think this team has the potential to be an outstanding team. We have players in there with huge amounts of talent, and whilst we’re still reasonably low on experience at Test level, as they get used to Test rugby their growth is going to be enormous.”
Wales challenge awaits
England open their campaign against Wales at Twickenham on 7 February, facing a side in transition under new head coach Steve Tandy. The Welsh have endured a torrid 18 months, extending their losing streak to 18 Test matches before finally beating Japan last summer.
Borthwick predicts Wales will launch an aerial assault on his side: “The biggest thing, the thing that’s core to their game is that contestable kick game. I reckon they’re probably going to kick maybe 50 contestable kicks here at Allianz Stadium. We’re going to be prepared for that.”
The fixture evokes painful memories for Wales, who suffered a record 68-14 defeat in Cardiff last March. That humiliation – England’s biggest winning margin and most points scored in the Welsh capital – contributed to their second consecutive wooden spoon.
Looking ahead
Following the Wales fixture, England travel to Murrayfield for the Calcutta Cup on 14 February before hosting Ireland at Twickenham on 21 February in what could prove a pivotal encounter. Trips to Rome to face Italy and Paris to meet defending champions France complete a challenging schedule.
France, who romped to the 2025 title with Louis Bielle-Biarrey breaking the individual try-scoring record with eight touchdowns, will be boosted by the return of Antoine Dupont after the captain missed the latter stages of last year’s championship with a knee injury. The Stade de France finale on 14 March could yet decide the destination of the trophy.
“I’m really pleased at how the players are embracing how we want to play and taking the game on,” Borthwick concluded. “I want them to attack this tournament, come in with a mindset to play brave and attack. We’re nowhere near maxing out the potential.”
The squad gathers at Pennyhill Park on Tuesday before travelling to Girona for a warm-weather training camp. By the time they return, Borthwick will hope his injury concerns have eased and his side are ready to launch their most serious title bid in six years.
England Six Nations Squad
Forwards (20): Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 30 caps), Arthur Clark (Gloucester Rugby, 1 cap), Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 14 caps), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 53 caps), Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 20 caps), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 65 caps), Theo Dan (Saracens, 20 caps), Trevor Davison (Northampton Saints, 3 caps), Ben Earl (Saracens, 46 caps), Greg Fisilau (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped), Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 75 caps), Jamie George (Saracens, 105 caps), Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 17 caps), Maro Itoje (Saracens, 97 caps, captain), Emmanuel Iyogun (Northampton Saints, uncapped), Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby, 7 caps), Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints, 5 caps), Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks, 10 caps), Vilikesa Sela (Bath Rugby, uncapped), Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 45 caps)
Backs (16): Henry Arundell (Bath Rugby, 11 caps), Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby, 2 caps), Elliot Daly (Saracens, 74 caps), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, 7 caps), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs, 13 caps), George Ford (Sale Sharks, 105 caps), Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 22 caps), George Furbank (Northampton Saints, 14 caps), Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 27 caps), Cadan Murley (Harlequins, 4 caps), Max Ojomoh (Bath Rugby, 2 caps), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 74 caps), Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 46 caps), Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby, 14 caps), Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 41 caps), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers, 21 caps)
Rehabilitation in Girona: Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Ben Curry (Sale Sharks), Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby), Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks), Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)
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