Six Nations 2025: George Ford’s return to the England squad this week has complicated the fly-half selection scenario somewhat for Steve Borthwick. On one hand, England has attained the services of a player just four caps wary of a century. On the other hand, Borthwick finds himself in the difficult position of deciding who should start in the No 10 shirt against the All Blacks on Saturday at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium, a dilemma he will face throughout the autumn.
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In the first match since the Guinness Six Nations where all options are available to Borthwick, the head coach has chosen to start Marcus Smith, with Ford returning from a quadriceps injury to take his place on the bench for the third encounter of the year against Scott Robertson’s side. The Sale Sharks No. 10 was entrusted with the captaincy during the Six Nations and played a crucial role.
In the emergence of this new England, effectively supported by Marcus Smith from the bench against Ireland. However, an Achilles issue for Ford meant that the Harlequin took charge against the All Blacks in July, backed up by his namesake Fin. With Ford initially uncertain for the start of the Autumn Nations Series due to a quadriceps issue, the fly-half situation appeared straightforward.
Marcus Smith’s Crucial Role in England’s Six Nations Ambitions
Marcus Smith would start, and Fin Smith would be on the bench. Now Borthwick will face a dilemma for the remainder of November. However, for former England scrum-half Danny Care, there is no such uncertainty. Regardless of Ford’s fitness, Marcus Smith must start if England aims to break into the top four of the world rankings.
Currently sitting in fifth place in the rankings, England’s goal over the coming months will be to join the elite group of Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, and France, or even displace one of them. Care believes his Harlequins teammate is the optimal choice to help achieve that objective.
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Although now observing England from the sidelines, it wasn’t long ago that the 101-cap international was on the pitch himself just over six months. He has firsthand experience of what Borthwick seeks from his team and the style of play he wants to implement. With a wealth of knowledge about how both Marcus Smith and Ford function, he is well-prepared to share his insights on the fly-half discussion.
Six Nations 2025: England’s Coaching Changes and Fly-Half Dynamics
Regardless of the outcome, Marcus Smith would be my choice for fly-half, TNT Sports pundit Care recently told RugbyPass. I believe that with the way England has evolved their game and this sort of attack-oriented style we now possess, along with the players around him and the speed at which they can operate, for me, he’s the fly-half if England wants to break into that top four.
Care, however, still believes that Ford has a significant role to fulfill in the England camp, even if he doesn’t appear in the matchday squad. That said, George will still play a crucial role in the squad, regardless of whether he’s on the field or not, the 37-year-old remarked. It’s almost like having another coach out there for the team; he understands the game so well.
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Whether he’s on the bench, starting, or the third fly-half, he’ll be assisting England in their efforts to defeat New Zealand. So he’s still got plenty of gas left in the tank. What is different about the England setup since Care retired from international rugby in March is Borthwick’s coaching staff. With Felix Jones now working remotely and Joe El-Abd stepping in as defence coach.
Sell Six Nations: Care’s Insights on England’s Coaching Transition
While this could derail Borthwick’s plans and unsettle a team that was on an upward trajectory, Care believes it will only be a disruption if England allows it to be. Felix is a top-tier coach; I loved collaborating with him, and the players did too, the scrum-half remarked.
But if he wants to be elsewhere and pursue other opportunities, then it’s important to have people in the room who genuinely want to be there. So, it’s one of those situations where you express gratitude for his contributions. He achieved some remarkable things for England, building on the excellent work that Kevin Sinfield had done.
Now it’s Joe El-Abd’s opportunity to leave his mark on some already impressive work and hopefully elevate them to the next level. It can be a disruption if you choose to make it one. I believe England is truly enjoying working with Joe, and I don’t think it will be too much of a distraction. England Squad for Six Nations 2025 Announced by Borthwick.
Guinness Six Nations 2025: Care’s Vision for England’s Rugby Aspirations
Care is reflecting the sentiments of his former boss Borthwick when he speaks about the ‘next level’ that England must strive to reach. He believes they can accomplish this throughout November with matches against the All Blacks, Australia, the world champions South Africa, and Japan. However, there are essential requirements if they aim to ascend to that upper tier.
Care stated, For England, the next level that Steve has always mentioned is breaking into that top four in the world. Defeating one of the top four teams is crucial. We managed to defeat Ireland in the Six Nations, but I believe England needs to triumph over either New Zealand or South Africa. I’m not suggesting they need to defeat both, but to reach that next level, it’s about conquering these world-class teams.
There’s no better opportunity to go after New Zealand than in that first game. I felt they should have beaten them twice in the summer, which gave me considerable optimism when New Zealand came here. England would learn from those experiences and have what it takes to win at home. I genuinely think they will succeed this weekend.
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