Steve Borthwick is prepared to unleash his triple threat of No 10s simultaneously against Wales on Saturday, with the head coach insisting England are heading to Cardiff intending to win the Six Nations title.
Borthwick has selected Fin Smith and Marcus Smith as well as George Ford in his matchday squad for the first time and revealed deploying all three in harness is a possibility as England seek to keep their championship hopes alive on “Super Saturday”.
The head coach has rolled the dice, making four personnel and three positional changes to his starting XV, with Marcus Smith recalled at full‑back and Ford on the bench. Fin Smith makes his fourth consecutive start at fly-half but, intriguingly, is also seen by Borthwick as an inside‑centre option. With Ford in line for a 99th cap and his first appearance of the 2025 championship, all three fly‑halves are poised to feature against Wales.
England can win the title on Saturday but, if Ireland secure a bonus‑point victory against Italy in the first game of the day, they will need a four-try win of their own to move top of the table before France host Scotland, with Borthwick’s side then hoping Les Bleus slip up. Since bonus points were introduced in 2017, England have not managed to score four tries in a Six Nations match in Cardiff. They have done so only once in the competition’s history, in 2001, and, if they are required to chase tries in the latter stages on Saturday, Borthwick could field three fly-halves together.
“I think that there is definitely that possibility,” he said. “I’d say George Ford has been, and I said this to the team this morning, George Ford has been absolutely incredible within this squad. To have him on the bench, coming on and finishing the game, is a great position for us to be in. Fin Smith, everyone can see what a standout defender he is. I see a position at some point in time where I think he’d be able to be a 10-12 for us as well.”
Borthwick has made changes up front with Luke Cowan-Dickie coming back in for Jamie George at hooker; Ben Curry returns at flanker, Ben Earl shifts to No 8 and Tom Willis drops to the bench. Tommy Freeman starts at outside-centre for England for the first time while Tom Roebuck makes his first start and Elliot Daly moves to the left wing. The 20-year-old flanker Henry Pollock is in line for a debut from the bench.
Wales: B Murray; E Mee, M Llewellyn, B Thomas, J Roberts; G Anscombe, T Williams; N Smith, E Dee, W John, W Rowlands, D Jenkins, A Wainwright, J Morgan (capt), T Faletau. Replacements: D Lake, G Thomas, K Assiratti, E Williams, T Reffell, R Williams, J Evans, N Tompkins.
England: M Smith; T Roebuck, T Freeman, F Dingwall, E Daly; F Smith, A Mitchell; E Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, W Stuart, M Itoje (capt), O Chessum, T Curry, B Curry, B Earl. Replacements: J George, F Baxter, J Heyes, C Cunningham-South, H Pollock, T Willis, J van Poortvliet, G Ford
England have not won the Six Nations title since 2020 and the Rugby Football Union chief executive, Bill Sweeney, often laments the fact they have done so only four times since winning the 2003 World Cup. France remain hot favourites for this year’s title but Borthwick insisted his side will be seeking to put pressure on Les Bleus by moving top.
“Our aspiration is to win the tournament,” he said. “That’s always been the way we want to go and that’s not changed. The team’s really clear on what we need to do to put ourselves in that position. Every England supporter would be expecting us to be saying that’s what we aim to do. That’s exactly what we aim to do.”
Borthwick is also backing Pollock to handle the hostile welcome England expect to receive in Cardiff. “He wants to go and make a difference,” he said. “So, the message to him this weekend is a very simple one: go get yourself around the ball, go on the field and get yourself around the ball. And I’m really looking forward to seeing him do that. He’s got incredible pace and power.”
