Steve Borthwick is set to drop a Rugby World Cup bombshell by leaving Henry Slade out of his final 33-man squad for the forthcoming tournament. The Exeter back is one of several players who appeared in England’s disappointing defeat by Wales expected to be axed by Borthwick, with Joe Marchant, their brightest performer in Cardiff, preferred.
Slade’s now expected absence comes as a huge surprise given his standing within the squad and as one of English rugby’s most naturally gifted players. He is a former vice-captain, started four Six Nations matches this year and has 56 caps to his name but appeared off the bench in Cardiff for just 10 minutes and it is believed he has been informed by Borthwick that he will not be part of the squad announced on Monday. Instead the head coach is poised to opt for an extra, 19th, forward, with only 14 backs selected.
Alex Dombrandt is also in line to be left out, along with Tom Willis and Tom Pearson. Ben Earl is expected to be a surprise inclusion while Lewis Ludlam is charged with providing No 8 cover for Billy Vunipola. Joe Cokanasiga is expected to be omitted, with Henry Arundell preferred as the winger with a point of difference.
The fact that Marchant can also play on the wing – he finished the match there on Saturday – has worked in his favour, with Borthwick preferring power and versatility rather than Slade’s sleight of hand. It also suggests Manu Tuilagi and Ollie Lawrence are in for busy tournaments and could be paired together for the first time against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.
Indeed, Slade’s omission would suggest England will not look to play particularly expansively in France, rather that they will employ the kick‑heavy strategy used by Borthwick and his coaches to such great effect at Leicester. Slade’s absence can undoubtedly be considered a blow for the aesthetes, however. He is now 30 and, while it is true that occasions on which he has seized hold of matches have been fewer than his talent would suggest, his skill set will be missed in France.
Instead, Borthwick is primed to bolster his forward ranks, picking 19 of them and 10 for the back-five places, with both George Martin and David Ribbans in line for the nod despite inauspicious performances in Cardiff. They, along with Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum and Courtney Lawes are likely to form the lock options, with Jack Willis and Tom Curry joining Vunipola, Ludlam and Earl as the back-rows. Pearson, who endured a mixed debut in Cardiff, is expected to be edged out while the absence of a second specialist No 8 seems a gamble given Vunipola has been in rehab from a knee injury sustained in April. It was, however, a similar story in 2019, with Mark Wilson acting as the stand-in.
In the backs, Borthwick’s insistence on taking three scrum‑halves – Ben Youngs, Jack van Poortvliet and Danny Care – as well as three No 10s in Owen Farrell, George Ford and Marcus Smith meant an onus on versatility elsewhere. For all Slade’s qualities, despite the odd cameo at full-back, he is a centre by trade and Marchant’s ability to play on the wing will have counted in his favour. Smith’s inclusion also put the writing on the wall for Slade.
Elliot Daly is another who can play multiple positions and he is set to be joined in the back-three ranks by Anthony Watson, Freddie Steward, Max Malins and Arundell. The last of these has started only once for England – a largely forgettable appearance against Ireland – but while Borthwick has filled the majority of his squad with grafters, Arundell has the X factor that the team will welcome.
Mako Vunipola will also be omitted, having failed to recover from a back injury sustained towards the end of last season.
England are the first of the established nations to name their squad, opting to do so after just one warm- up match. Borthwick believes it will help him and his coaches to focus on working with just those who will travel to France. He was also an assistant four years ago when Eddie Jones named his squad at the same stage, at the request of the players in order to ease the tension among the group.
“It’s important for us to have real clarity about the players who are going to play over the next three games,” Borthwick said. “That’s a really important step for us to make sure we build those combinations and a cohesion that we have together. So that’s our opportunity over the next weeks. [Lifting a weight off the players] is one of the reasons that I have decided to announce the squad at this stage.”
After he announces the squad on Monday, Borthwick must then set about improving England’s fortunes against Wales on Saturday. Their second-half showing in particular made for bleak viewing, with the set piece falling apart and the team looking lifeless in attack. He is, at least, expected to name a significantly stronger XV, having confirmed that he has a strong idea of his starting lineup for England’s opening World Cup fixture against Argentina and intends to use it at some point in his remaining warm-up matches.
“The expectation is to build through these four games,” Borthwick said. “The team will get sharper. We are still in a quite heavy training phase. Then there will be a period where we work very much on the sharpness.”
