Henry Arundel, George Ford and Alex Coles have been named in the starting XI for England vs Wales in Saturday’s Six Nations opener, with captain Maro Itoje on the bench.
England named their squad three days before regulation, with Tommy Freeman shifting to center alongside Northampton Saints team-mate Fraser Dingwall, and Joe Hayes starting at tighthead prop with Will Stewart absent through injury.
Hooker Jamie George captains the team, with Itoje among the substitutes and British and Irish Lions players Henry Pollock, Tom Curry, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Marcus Smith on the bench.
Lions captain Itoje missed the start of England’s training camp in Girona to attend the funeral of his mother Florence, who died in December.
England captain Maro Itoje has been named as a possible successor and recently attended his mother’s funeral.
Inexperienced prop duo Bevan Rood and Trevor Davidson cover the bench as Steve Borthwick’s side are dealing with a number of front-row injuries.
Full-back Freddie Steward and right-winger Immanuel Fay-Waboso, the latter of whom was born and raised in Cardiff, complete the back three alongside Arundel.
Ford will start at flyhalf in the absence of Northampton’s Finn Smith, and will be partnered at halfback by scrumhalf Alex Mitchell.
Ellis Genge will form the front row with George and Hayes, while Coles will start in the second row alongside Ollie Chetham.
Guy Pepper, Sam Underhill and Ben Earl have been named in the starting back row.
England representative Northampton lock Alex Coles starts, Itoje starts on the bench
Bath captain and scrum-half Ben Spencer completed the team on the bench with Cowan Dickie, Rod, Davidson, Itoje, Currie, Pollock and Smith as England once again opted for a 6-2 split between forwards and backs.
“England vs Wales is always a special match on the rugby calendar. It’s a fierce rivalry with a long history and presents a huge challenge every time we play each other,” said head coach Borthwick.
“We expect Wales to bring a kicking game so we need to be precise in how we respond to that challenge.For us, the focus will be on executing our game plan and maintaining discipline throughout the match.
“We are excited to start the Championship with a packed Allianz Stadium. The support we receive at home is fantastic and always gives the players great motivation.”
Henry Arundel will start on the wing for England in Saturday’s Six Nations opener against Wales.
England national team plays against Wales
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Immanuel Fay-Waboso, 13 Tommy Freeman, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Henry Arundel, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell. 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George (c), 3 Joe Hayes, 4 Alex Coles, 5 Ollie Chetham, 6 Guy Pepper, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Ben Earl.
Substitutes: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Trevor Davison, 19 Maro Itoje, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Ben Spencer, 23 Marcus Smith.
Borthwick manager predicts ‘huge cheers’ when Itoje comes off the bench
Borthwick expects Itoje will be greeted with “huge cheers” when the grieving England captain comes off the bench against Wales.
The head coach insists it was the right decision to give Itoje a supporting role against Wales, given recent events.
“Our hearts go out to Maro and his family following the very sad death of his mother,” Borthwick told BBC Sport. “As you can imagine, Maro and I talk a lot, and it’s the right thing to do for him and the team this week.
England head coach Steve Borthwick has paid tribute to captain Itoje, whose mother died in December.
“Maro was out in Nigeria and came back to camp a day or two later than the other players. We decided it was best for him to start on the bench for this game.”
“I think he’s going to have a big impact. I know the crowd when Malo comes to the touchline. I’m sure he’ll get a big cheer.”
England 2026 Six Nations fixtures
Wales – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham – Saturday 7th February – 4:40pm (GMT) Scotland – Murrayfield – Saturday 14th February – 4:40pm (GMT) Ireland – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham – Saturday 21st February – 2:10pm (GMT) Italy – Stadio Olimpico – Saturday 7th March – 4:40pm (GMT) France – Stade de France – Saturday 14th March – 8:10pm (GMT)
