England’s New Spine | Rugby Pod Discuss England’s Six Nations Squad

The 2024 Six Nations will look very different for Steve Borthwick’s England side with Owen Farrell’s international rugby hiatus and several other high profile players retiring after the Rugby World Cup.

The lads discuss what they believe should be the new spine of the England team, who wears that 10 jersey and finally who should be captain…

Listen to the full Podcast on Spotify 🎧 https://spoti.fi/3vAEP07

Going be loads I think I will say you say surprises not necessarily surprises in a lot of people’s eyes but new players and different players there’s a change of the Guard isn’t there go on Jim you were saying before you get into it I think England are going to be very good the

Six Nations for the reasons that Andrew you’re going to go through because of the quality of players and the way that these players are playing at the minute loads to like absolutely loads to choose I don’t think it’s ever been harder for Steve borwick to choose a bunch of

Players it’s that the biggest thing for Steve and the hardest thing for Steve is to go away from his identity because a lot of these players don’t suit a Steve borwick Coach team that we’ spoken about as in Kick Chase defense line outs scrums the basics of rugby that he’s

Built you know Foundations at Leicester and that stuff and then we saw he took over the England job and he’s like I’ve got nine months until the World Cup so I’ve got to put building blocks in place and you know we saw how England did well

Came third you know lost to South Africa by a point in a semi and um it wasn’t enrolling rugby to watch but effectively was winning games however which way uh which got us to a semi-final and could have beaten South Africa um and then finished third so kudos for all that

Stuff but it’s now time to evolve uh and a lot of the players that are on form watching the gag Premiership and the investech Champions Cup and seeing the likes of Tommy Freeman play really well Lawrence Henry Slade’s back in the mix um marus Smith you Reon Henry SL to be

Henry Slade has to be back I hope just picking on for and Steve has openly said opposite of Eddie Jones Eddie Jones didn’t really care about Premiership form did he and he openly said that um he said M it’s not about Premiership rugby player Steve believes in it um and

We’re seeing a lot of these players play exceptionally well you know the big ones are around the props at the minute with all the injuries um you know foso on the wing he’s English till we till he I think he’s 25,000 reasons why he’s English um

You know there’s a lot of good young Talent ironically is a fair bit of saints um and these players who haven’t got much International or any International experience bar Henry Slade um are really going to step up the big one and it’s always I’m a bit biased because I’m a fly half

Is who you building your team around at 10 we know Faz is out it’s got to be Marcus Smith in my opinion uh and that then dictates how a team can play and Steve has to evolve as a coach in terms of what he’s always coached his teams to

To play and to have the basics of a solid foundation and without building on too many blocks of of attack to it so loads of exciting players um the problem is the front row is going to be a bit of an issue for if genj isn’t fit Joe Mara

Is not fit um Sinkler depends on him not fit you know you’re then going down and we saw at the weekend in some games how important scrums is and it only it’s magnified more and more at International level um if you getting hos in the scrum

You ain’t winning a test match are you so players like Ben obano who’s played exceptionally well played very well at the weekend yeah there Asher aoku forour at sale you know he’s not started many if any games he’s come off the bench and have big impacts but you know Steve now

Has to evolve the team in terms of how we play but also the Personnel uh and there’s going to be a team picked and a squad picked and some of them are going to have very little International experience which is both exciting and semi- daunting but luckily

We start with the easy to Italy away and then Wells at home so and that’s the thing I think that makes a difference do you not think and no disrespect to Italy whether Steve will see this but say you want to mix it up completely so say you

Want to go in and right be like right we’ve lost fars we can’t pick a number of players now because they’re playing abroad like how do you do it like do you go straight in and Ben Spencer at nine for example y if that’s the way you want

To go tactically kick in I actually don’t think Ben Spencer starts at nine no Mitchell will start on fire but that’s what I mean so it depends how you want to go so you imagine a backline of England so on form Alex Mitchell yeah you go Marcus Smith yeah you go Ole

Lawrence at 13 you could put him at 12 and then that 13 spot opens up Freeman can play 13 or play in the bat three you play Slade and Lawrence together but you could play Slade if you’re going on form yeah and you’ve got Freddy Stewart you’ve got the the Wingers you’ve got

[ __ ] and a singer you’ve got will M will will M at the weekend the horse as in definitely absolutely of course he is but you can go through the names but but when you say that team out loud you think oh but on form yeah that’s the

Route you could go down it would be unbelievable for an England fan in terms of attack and how you want to go about you got to allow the players to play that way yeah there’s a load of other players as well that um are performing

In the Prem Rob any Finn Smith at 10 as he back up 10 George Ford’s injured at the minute is he yeah if you’re planing for the future yeah I think Marcus Smith and Finn Smith both inge’s in there as well yeah Northampton are so good is

They you know what I mean like you look at Hampton play and you watch them absolutely pull the pants down of Bayon they weren’t even wearing pants you watch what they did against it and you could be like every single one of them players yeah could go and play

International riew but you can’t base it on a team run no um it’s exciting it’s more about the identity of the team though and how that changes um you know in the back row Tom Pearson at Northampton he’s been phenomenal love him Courtney laws is playing the best

Rugby ever since he’s retired from International Rugby but Tom Pearson’s ready in to go in that Alfie barar if he doesn’t get banned has been brilliant the last few weeks yeah again I spoke to Alfie I was like I hope he doesn’t mind me sharing it I said what’s Steve saying

Kick Chase big thing for him big work on but you know what you know what goody don’t you d That’s hold on Alie that’s Alfie Barb’s work on Kick Chase no not 50 me Sprint not all of that but but like as in that’s the worry for me yes it’s a

Big part of the game especially International rugby but if that’s your driver and that’s your first thing you think about no but he’s good at everything else but I watched the game and I was watching Alfie and when you say kick Chase don’t want him kick chasing no

It’s not Fitness you want him in the back field but it’s Fitness so that’s when people hear oh you kick Chase I’m watching Alfie and he’s slightly behind the line like if I’m being critical because I love him as a player R over for exactly so I’m I’m watching Alfie and

He’s a little bit that that first 5 m of acceleration it’s great that he shared that hopefully he doesn’t mind I mean that’s part of it you wantas you want a bit of insight well he might be getting band anyway but yeah spin with his M but

Alfie Barbie would love to see him you imagine a b row Ben Alfie barbrey a Tom Pearson and you’ve got the curry boys that you could throw into the mix as well you’ve got a George Martin who for me’s Shing at number four yeah I think he’ll

Go in terms of starting he’ll go one of those in the back row so chz George Martin and Marrow three players there’s only two second R slots so I think another one plays six which maybe means the balance we’ll see hopefully you know we’ll see a bit of

Everything from everyone do you think Steve will allow them to play a second rby there do you think it’s in his nature to allow that I hope he’s evolving and watching what players are doing on the field because you can’t get away from the fact that the game changed hugely

Over the last few years in terms of attacking mindset yes there was a big draw Around the World Cup and sou Africa won it and you know they played a lot of attacking they evolved as a team but then went back to type to win the World

Cup didn’t they um so it depends what you’re looking at now if we’re talking about a connection with the fans and Feelgood factor and all that stuff you want the team to have an attacking mindset and it’s easy for us to sit here and say it Steve’s not going to be under

Pressure for his job unless we lose to Italy and Wales and yeah have an absolute stinker but you have you can’t we can’t just keep kicking it chasing it and then hoping that teams make mistakes and then you that’s our DNA of a rugby team because that continually doing that will make

People yeah we remember the noises Around the World Cup of how inam were playing but you getting away with it because we were winning we got to a semi-final if you loseing playing that way regularly you you have to change and it will soon create ill feeling we

Saw how quickly everyone turned on Eddie Jones at twick and them there were all the booze and all that stuff because people weren’t entertained and you know you an England fan would rather see a team attack and try than just kick and Chase and lose games so I think he has

To evolve he’s not going to go hey let’s play like Harley quins or you know let’s play sevens or Chuck it around completely but you have to have the license and giving Marcus Smith the T Shure is Paramount to that because he can play both ways he can manage a game

But he can he sees things that a lot of other TS don’t see especially English TS so you need to have that attacking intent and that excitement as part of your game yes you need all the other boltons as well and building blocks but Steve has to evolve as well and the

Evolution is there might be a bit of pain you know along the way where we’re trying to evolve but we are trying to evolve not I’m just here to win a game a rby and off we go so the spine analogy is a great one and how’s your spine bent

Weak but [ __ ] strong it’s B but strong I’m telling you now I got a strong spine dense but bent yeah just like no um so the spine of a team so when I was researching Gloucester and this is a perfect kind of analogy to use from a club level and then we’ll get

Into it they’ve lost the spine of their team what do you consider the spine of a team James go down the middle you ready y so hooker yeah and then you can maybe Branch into a big line out call in second row from Scotland who’s got a be

And got a massive I don’t think second rows have ever really part of a spine of a team but a line line out yeah yeah hooker 1 second row number eight you’re nine you’re 10 yeah and I’m going to say you’re 15 as well but you’re 15 not as much the spine

Of your team is your key specialist position you need a hooker who can throw the ball yes you need a prop but you could argue every single position you need an eight to get you over the gain line I’m going to be bi you need a

Second row that can call a line out yeah and charge down and counter rck and just be an all around [ __ ] Legend bringing back a bit Nostalgia you need a nine yeah obviously sniper box kicks you need a 10 yeah and Ron nogara said you need

One to 10 yeah everything else you can fit around that I’m going to say second row again will scouton look at the influence he has if you got a will Scout my goodness you anyone else big Willy little he’s just big Wily now that’s it that’s the spine you agree the spine of

The team uh yeah you can chck a center in there as well if he’s a sort of decision maker Communicator um I’ll control to yeah ridiculous but yeah you’re right um and what do you what do you consider do you consider a problem that it’s going to be a lot of mix and

Matching would you go Danny care and Marcus Smith at nine and 10 so you’ve got that little bit of you know Club understanding and I think you need to go with the spine and that’s the one that sees you through so you double down on what you’re doing so if you’ve got jamy

George on the next cycle you put him in you’ve got marrow you put him in you’ve got your number eight which they haven’t really had they’ve messed around with that position but are you going me yeah swear to God yeah Alfie barbery he just offers something different with his side

This isn’t fany what I thought you going to go then is G Jeremy George G marrow then you’ve gone Harrison are in transition they’re in transition so that’s what I would go and and it’s young it’s a little bit kind of sideway I’m just looking at what I’m seeing and

I’m looking at Alfie Barb and this has got nothing to do with me fanboying because I was at the weekend and we spoke about him last week he’s sitting Downy in the channels he scored one that got allowed yes there’s a few issues in his game around the high amen Amen to

That you know he’s a man of the people what I will say I saw ABS did you yeah that’s why I saw ABS he’s like Steve he didn’t pull it down like if that’s a lot of players you [ __ ] pulling you need an you need an eight to get you over the

Game if you think you’ve got a barar and you’ve got an ol Ole Lawrence and you’ve not got a manuu langi I thought you weren’t a bath fan James I’m not a bath fan yet I’m warm into them I just didn’t like the energy in the St just yeah just

Not there yet but I’m easily convinced so that’s the spine and your 10 and the issue you’ve got and the issue has been around ow Farrell because he’s so opinionated he’s so integral he’s the captain and he’s an alpha that you probably couldn’t get away with what

They’re doing like Now’s the Time for them if you’ve got Marcus smth you be is the keys to the Ford Fiesta which England are at the minute even though they finish third thir in terms of how you playing like he we are the third best team in the world

Okay so you’ve got a for Fiesta with a great engine in it but looks [ __ ] so there you go there’s the keys yeah that’s where I would go who would you go eight come on I know we like we can pick it before but so if I’m

Thinking about an Alfie barbery I think Don brt looks great looks a bit weird being Lena but looks good in how he’s playing I don’t see Ben as an eight even though he’s happy to play eight I see him as a seven yeah I mean obviously

Beno did a damn good job at the World Cup I think Beno has to be in the back row so probably seven I’m with you but I’m Alfie Bary Alfie barbry as long as well he probably getting banned though that’s the problem uh which I think he’ll end

Up with a he’ll probably end up with a three week ban we’ll find out who’s in the squad and what Steve we’re gonna who skips Jamie George who you going for Skipper Jim because there’s two big captaincy calls to made the Six Nations well as an England fan you want

To know early but you’ve got Ellis GJ who is injured yeah at the minute J injured as well he was yeah Jamie Jor is injured yeah so hard isn’t it it’s it’s a I mean I like a forward as a captain Maro that’s a no no I don’t think he’s a

Captain yeah I’m with you I don’t think he’s a captain I don’t know I think he if Jamie George is fit I think you probably got to go Jamie George I think if Alis genj is fit he’ll go with Alis genj he was sat with him watching the game yeah

So well played well played smart get yourself on camera but who else is there but maybe it’s someone else to come to the fall you know just Danny care if he starts at nine which he won’t Mitchell’s our best nine I think i’ go who knows time will tell Steve over to you

Over to you good luck pod pod pod pod rby pod