England to copy Rassie's tactics?

01/28/2025 05:16 AM

Steve Borthwick is reportedly set to take a leaf out of Rassie Erasmus’ playbook and deploy a 6-2 bench split for England's Six Nations opener against Ireland on Saturday.

According to the UK's Telegraph, head coach Borthwick will select six forwards among the England replacements for the Aviva Stadium clash, with Ollie Chessum, Chandler Cunningham-South and Tom Willis likely to feature off the wood.

It is also understood that the Curry brothers, Tom and Ben, will start in the back row with Ben Earl against the defending champions in Dublin.

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The world champion Springboks, under Erasmus, have often leveraged their unique strategy of packing the bench with forwards for a six-two split. In the 2023 World Cup final, South Africa even selected seven forwards among their replacements, allowing them to almost replace their entire pack.

In other team news, Alex Mitchell is set to start alongside flyhalf Marcus Smith for the Roses in the Irish capital, marking the scrumhalf's return after recent injury setbacks.

Fullback Freddie Steward is expected to run out in a potent back three with wingers Tommy Freeman and Tom Roebuck. Up front, Luke Cowan-Dickie is tipped to replace Jamie George at hooker, supported by Ellis Genge and Will Stuart in the front row.

Photo: Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images

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