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England closed their autumn With a disappointing win over Argentina Extending their winning streak to 11 matches and ending the year unbeaten on home soil.
lost to Ireland in Dublin at the start of six nations, steve borthwickHis team has won every game since then A signed win over the All Blacks Secured last weekend.
Borthwick will be pleased with the progress his side have made since the difficult situation in November 12 months ago, with the head coach having begun to assemble a team that looks capable. Winning the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
The tour of Argentina in July, held concurrently with the British & Irish Lions series against the Wallabies, enabled Borthwick to build depth in key areas and increase competition within the team – as it normally should given the size of their player pool.
But in which positions does England look strong and where do they need more development? Here’s our assessment of their stock.
prop
Probably the area of greatest improvement over last year. 2025 saw Finn Baxter and Joe Hayes really emerge as forces at Test level, while Will Stuart’s standout Six Nations saw him join Ellis Genge as worthy Lions tourists. Scrum is now developing into a real weapon. With Asher Opoku-Fordjor a real promising player capable of covering both sides, as well as young players like Afolabi Fasogbon and Wilkesa Sela developing rapidly and given the England A opportunity, Borthwick will feel he is in a good place.
hooker
It’s a strong position for now, but there’s also reason to worry about the future jamie george and Luke Cowan-Dickie are both in the final stages of their careers. Although both could still make 2027, it may concern Borthwick that Theo Dann still feels like a work in progress, even if his explosiveness as a ball carrier is a point of difference. Spending more time with Curtis Langdon and Gabriel O’Hare, who are both on tour in July, could make sense for George, now 35.
Lock
The second row remains a matter of some concern. As a pair, Maro Itoje and Ollie Chasem are very strong, but the ongoing injury troubles for George Martin are unfortunate, especially as England lack other tighthead lock options of sufficient size to mix with the bigger packs. That said, Alex Coles is progressing well – the long-serving lock faces mountains of work – and Chandler Cunningham-South has opportunities in the engine room for both club and country. If Junior Kopoku returns to Prem for Racing 92 he could be a name to keep an eye on for the long term. Charlie Ewels’ value was underlined in the final lineout on the tour to Argentina and in the late autumn Pumas clash.
back row
Whereas one disturbing thing is that after this there will be a shortage of big back row ball carriers in England. Tom Willis’ decision to go to the Top 14 While it’s not ideal, the way England have weaponized the scavenging, raucous clan in the back row is impressive. Ben Currie and Emeka Illion, who love Borthwick, have also returned from injury to complement Guy Peppers, tom currySam Underhill and Henry Pollock As an openside option, going ben earl He is likely to take over the number 8 shirt in the near future. Cunningham-South also offers an alternative.
scrum half
Alex Mitchell looks completely secure in his starting spot despite Ben Spencer starting in England’s last game of November against Argentina. Mitchell came in and added some extra zip to that game. Behind him, England had both Raffi Quirke and an injured Jack Van Poorvliet in camp throughout the autumn – each had fitness problems, but they could come in time to replace Spencer, no matter how effective a controller the Bath scrum half was. Harry Randall also starred this year.
fly half
george ford The final game of November was unsurprisingly prone to error, but two excellent performances against Australia and the All Blacks saw him re-established as England’s first-choice number 10. At the age of 32, he As calm, confident and collected as ever , finn smithHis time will surely come after his excellent Six Nations performances earlier this year, but for now he may have to be content with a position as a high-quality backup. marcus smith Perhaps he is now being viewed as a full-back as well as a fly-half, but his status as a third-string playmaker testifies to England’s depth.
Additionally, there are some concerns – Charlie Atkinson and Jamie Benson were included in the England A squad, but neither of them are currently in the first-choice 10 for their club. But it would be a shock if, injury permitting, this trio is not in place for the entire World Cup; Owen Farrell’s return now looks unlikely.
Center
The landscape in midfield has improved significantly since the start of 2025, when the Ollie Lawrence/Henry Slade partnership was used more than required and with consistency. Lawrence has come back from a nasty injury in the Six Nations, while Fraser Dingwall showed all the “glue” qualities in the All Blacks win that make him an ideal facilitator and defensive organiser. The Tommy Freeman at 13 project was put on hold due to injury, but both players and coaching staff are keen to continue; Max Ojomoah – who probably wouldn’t even be in the team if Seb Atkinson was fit – Showed the quality hidden beyondSlade, for now, remains as an experienced option, although he has decided to make a switch to his club and perhaps country in the future,
wing
Another situation where Borthwick may feel swamped with options. Emmanuel Fayi-Waboso continues to be the point of difference with ball in hand, while Tom Roebuck looks every inch the Test wing and will be frustrated by two ill-timed injuries. Tommy Freeman remains one of the best players in the world when used widely, and while Elliot Daly was rusty on his return from a broken hand, perhaps this was to be expected after a long layoff following the Lions tour. The value of the experienced player with his ability to cover 13-15 was stressed by his head coach before the game.
The kick-chasing abilities of the back three have become more important since escorting law changes last November; In Roebuck, Freeman, Daly and Faye-Waboso, Borthwick feels he has four excellent operators, with spring-shod teenager Noah Caluori an up-and-coming force at Saracens. Henry Arundell will also remain in the mix.
full back
Three starts for Freddie Steward this November were reward for a player who stepped away and worked to improve his game, with Leicester now back with an improved counter-attacker and one-on-one defender, even if his aerial ability has come under threat with the law changes. His early removal against New Zealand after a failed head injury assessment showed, however, how Marcus Smith can boost the attack in unstructured situations – it still looks like George Furbank could be back to take the shirt for the Six Nations if he can shake off the injury issues that have troubled him over the past 11 months, but England have options, too, with Daly.