After last weekend’s thrashing by Ireland six England hopefuls were given a chance to make their case to face Italy by playing for their clubs on Saturday. With Steve Borthwick, the head coach, understood to be considering significant changes to his side for the trip to Rome, we take a look at how those players got on in the Prem Rugby Cup.
George Furbank
The full back has battled against a run of injuries that have kept him out of action for months. A combination of arm, calf and concussion setbacks meant that he was making his first appearance for Northampton since December, and despite this lack of game time he was an important influence before being taken off after 63 minutes with a try to his name as Saints beat Saracens 35-33.
Furbank marked his return to the Saints side with a try against Saracens at Franklin’s Gardens
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In that time Furbank, 29, showed the all-round skills that make him such an exciting player, built around a real understanding of when to hit the line in attack. He drifts around, shadowing the front runners to take the behind-the-back passes and exploit space out wide, and while he doesn’t carry the physical clout of Freddie Steward, his pace and passing skills make him a constant threat.
Saracens failed to test Furbank under the high ball, but on this evidence he could add a real cutting edge to the England attack with ball in hand, particularly in tandem with Fin Smith, his Northampton team-mate who could start at fly half against Italy. They instinctively know where to attack and both are comfortable at first receiver.
Verdict Bring him into the team to add real flair in attack from full back.
Theo Dan
The good news for England is that Saracens hooker Dan delivered an almost faultless lineout display, failing to link up with his jumpers only once. This is an area that England must improve and Dan has the accuracy to help solve the lineout weakness that has undermined the team in the Six Nations.
Dan, 25, has made his name with a series of all-action performances and he put in plenty of work against Northampton, tackling strongly and picking up a bloody nose for his troubles.
His try came from a line drive that was set up by his throw, with good control at the back of the maul allowing him to dive over the line. This combination of skills makes Dan a strong option for England in Rome, with his proven engine a real asset when the tempo needs to be raised.
Verdict Give him a place in the 23-man squad to improve the lineout work.
Bath v Gloucester
Max Ojomoh
In the battle of the pretenders for the England inside-centre shirt, it just so happened that one of them wasn’t wearing 12 on Saturday. Ojomoh, who was dropped from Borthwick’s original Six Nations squad after the returns of Ollie Lawrence and Fin Smith, played at fly half for Bath in their Prem Rugby Cup pool-decider against Gloucester, delivering a performance of typical verve — even if out of position.
He showed some glimpses here of the kind of qualities that earned him the player of the match award against Argentina in November. There was some canny distribution — including a flurry of fizzing, precise miss-passes either side of half-time — and also some smart support lines.
One of those support lines enabled the 25-year-old to score Bath’s sixth try as they booked their place in the semi-finals with a 38-26 victory. It was an athletic, soaring and flamboyant finish — adjectives that haven’t been used much of late to describe the national side’s attacking play.
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Ojomoh is England’s man if they want to experiment in Italy with a second playmaker at 12. It would be a gamble. But perhaps England need a gamble.
Verdict Wild card starter.
Seb Atkinson
In his two England appearances, the national side’s own statistics state that Seb Atkinson has made an impressive 28 out of 28 tackles. Atkinson was a reliable defender for a Gloucester side fighting a frequent rearguard action against Bath, although Will Butt’s slice through midfield for Bath’s opening try will be uneasy viewing for Atkinson and his team-mates.
Atkinson’s carrying and support lines were consistent throughout his 50 minutes on the field. One such punchy carry gave Gloucester the field position from which they ultimately scored their opening try. The 23-year-old’s role as vice-captain underlined his leadership credentials, but it wasn’t a performance without its flaws and Atkinson was swift to apologise to team-mates when a kick went out on the full.
Atkinson is an option if England wish to firm up a leaky defence with a hyper-fit pillar of reliability, but it’s debatable whether he offers a sufficient point of difference.
Verdict Outside bet to make match-day 23.
Harlequins v Newcastle Red Bulls
Chandler Cunningham-South
He scored a try and avoided injury in front of the England team manager Richard Hill, who was watching the game at Twickenham Stoop.
The 6ft 5in back row played 50 minutes for Harlequins as they beat Newcastle Red Bulls 35-14, before he was withdrawn to keep him fresh for international duty. Returning for a further stretch while Alex Dombrandt underwent a head injury assessment was not in the script but he remained unscathed to give Borthwick a proven power option for Rome.
Against Ireland, England lacked muscle both in tackle-breaking and tackle-making. The absence of intensity, both that day and during the defeat against Scotland, will be Borthwick’s prime concern. Little wonder he says Cunningham-South is “very close to the selection frame”. At his best, notably against the All Blacks in Dunedin a couple of summers ago, he is a one-man wrecking ball.
Cunningham-South offers the power and intensity that England have been missing, as demonstrated by his performances against the All Blacks in the summer of 2024
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A dead rubber in a competition viewed more as a developmental tool is a difficult place to judge a player’s readiness to step up. The emotional intensity of this match was as far as you can imagine from what will be required at Stadio Olimpico.
However, Cunningham-South did what England have failed to do on the past two weekends by making a fast start. He scored Harlequins’ first try and then got between ball and tryline to deny Newcastle at the other end.
Verdict Ready for Italy.
Cadan Murley
The other England squad member on parade claimed the pick of Harlequins’ five tries with the sort of line break and burst of acceleration sorely missing from the national team’s lame effort against Ireland.
Murley has not started for England since the summer tour, his fortunes dipping with those of his club. But the way he unlocked the Newcastle defence and tore clear on 55 minutes provided Borthwick with a timely reminder of his gifts.
Verdict Still struggling to make the 23-man squad