Finn Smith will start for England in Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Italy as Steve Borthwick makes extensive changes to his squad.
Borthwick made nine personnel changes in light of back-to-back defeats against Scotland and Ireland that meant England were out of title contention ahead of the game at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.
This is the biggest change England have made in the Six Nations era.
Tommy Freeman moved from the wing to outside center, while Finn Smith made his first start since the autumn, replacing George Ford at flyhalf. Rising star Henry Pollock was dropped to the bench after making his first start against Ireland.
England’s Finn Smith starts against Italy
Jamie George, Alex Coles, Guy Pepper, Ben Spencer, Finn Smith, Kaydan Marley, Seb Atkinson and Tom Roebuck will also join the team.
British & Irish Lions playmaker Smith will lead a backline that has been completely replaced following the blow from Ireland. None of the units behind the scrum have played together before.
Maro Itoje will captain the team, while number eight Ben Earl, who made his debut against Scotland in 2020, will earn his 50th cap for England.
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England’s Jamie George says the Six Nations match against Italy will be the toughest match yet, but he feels his team are very well prepared.
“We are expecting a big test in Rome and the players are really looking forward to it,” Borthwick said.
“We are aware of the challenge that Italy will bring to the Stadio Olimpico and have selected a team that we believe will perform at the level we are aiming for.”
Commenting on Earl’s milestone, Borthwick added: “Reaching 50 caps for England speaks volumes about Ben’s professionalism and consistency of performance. He is a key leader in this group, someone who drives standards and brings energy every day. This is a fantastic achievement and something to be extremely proud of.”
England have won each of their previous 32 meetings with Italy, but Gonzalo Quesada’s side are the Azzurri’s strongest side since joining the Six Nations in 2000.
The pressure is on for Borthwick as he heads to Paris for the Grand Slam after another disappointing Six Nations with back-to-back defeats to Scotland and Ireland.
complete overhaul
Borthwick made significant changes to their squad for the match against Italy from the previous match against Ireland. The backline was completely different from the previous game, with Tommy Freeman being the only survivor and his position changed. He moves from the win to outside center.
Of the backs who started against Ireland, Freddie Steward, Fraser Dingwall, Henry Arundel and George Ford were all dismissed, with Alex Mitchell and Olly Lawrence also injured.
Elise Genge, Joe Hayes and Maro Itoje are the only members of the pack starting in Roma to be in uniform. Ben Earl and Tom Curry have been shuffled to the back row, with Jamie George coming in as hooker and Alex Coles appearing in the second row.
almost unprecedented
Sky Sports’ James Cole said:
“Steve Borthwick pretty much scrapped the script. Nine personnel, three job changes, 12 changes in total. This is really uncharacteristic. It’s almost unprecedented.”
“As far as I can remember, the last time he made so many changes was at the Rugby World Cup in 2023, but that was ahead of the game against Chile. This is a Six Nations game and it shows how important this game is.”
“Whether it is a brilliant tactical move or a desperate move, it will only be determined by the result in Rome.”
England national team plays against Italy
Starting XV: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Tommy Freeman, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Kaydan Marley, 10 Finn Smith, 9 Ben Spencer. 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George, 3 Joe Hayes, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 5 Alex Coles, 6 Guy Pepper, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Ben Earl.
Substitutes: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Trevor Davison, 19 Ollie Chetham, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Jacques van Portvliet, 23 Marcus Smith.
