2025 Six Nations: Steve Borthwick explains Itoje England captaincy plans and possible fullback return for Marcus Smith
Yesterday at 01:00 PM
Steve Borthwick has shaken up the England squad for the 2025 Men’s Guinness Six Nations, with a new captain appointed in 80-capped lock Maro Itoje. The Saracen takes over the captaincy from his former skipper Jamie George, and Itoje’s first match at the helm will come against Ireland, as England kick-start their campaign in Dublin, for the opening round of the competition.
Borthwick is excited to see what the future holds with Itoje leading the side, and expressed how he sees no reason why the lock won’t captain the side all the way to the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup. "As we sit here right now, yes, I don't see why not. As we sit here right now." The England head coach told the media this afternoon.
This is by no means a quick fix from the England head coach, with Itoje seemingly the man for the long run. Borthwick spoke to the press today at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, and recalled the conversation he had with his newly appointed captain.
“I spoke to Maro yesterday about it and when I asked him to captain the team, the smile that spread across his face could have lit up the whole of England. He was delighted – and very humble. He will do everything he can to help serve this team and be the best leader he can.”
“I came back into the England squad as head coach two years ago and it struck me with Maro – having been away for a number of years from the England squad and having not coached him in that period – is that he thinks really well under pressure. He stays calm under pressure.
“He's a guy that the diligence of the way he goes about his work every single day is first class, The way you see the younger players emerging in the squad, the likes of George Martin and Oli Chessum, the way he helps and works with them and that's a hugely positive effect. The way he stands up in front of the group and talks to them and talks about how we are going to take the game forward and talks about the game at the weekend.
“When I am watching the players, the way they are looking at him, I go 'this is a guy that players will get behind and really follow'. What I will also say is that in every rugby team I have ever been involved in, as a player and as a coach and captain, you always require a number of leaders in that team.”
Borthwick shares a history with Itoje, that dates back to their shared time together at Saracens. The two shared the changing rooms from 2012 to 2014, with Itoje emerging from the Saracens’ schoolboys set-up, whilst Borthwick entered the twilight of his playing days. Borthwick was impressed from his first interactions with the new England skipper, with the signs planted early of Itoje’s future in the armband of his nation.
“I was delighted he accepted. Obviously. I think he’s a great leaders man. I mean he’s a guy I’ve seen from being like a schoolboy when I was a player at Saracens and seeing him start to come through.
“We saw the emergence then of somebody who was always going on to be a world-class player. He had the attributes to be a world-class player then, led England to an under-20s World Cup. He’s then gone on and played for England more than 80 times, and now he is a truly world-class player who we all have incredible respect for. So I'm glad he’s going to be the captain of the team going forward.”
Whilst Borthwick was delighted to recall his conversation with Maro Itoje, the England head coach also had the tough task of taking the captaincy away from Jamie George. The question marks had been appearing around the hooker’s England captaincy, as the front rower would often be substituted off in the second half in typical fashion for a forward. Fans and pundits alike had begun to call for a captain that would lead England for the full 80 minutes, with Borthwick explaining how George was ‘dissapointed’ to hear the news.
“Jamie’s disappointed, as anybody would be. He’s a very proud Englishman and he’s led the team over the last 12 months with a great deal of pride. So there’s disappointment. One of Jamie’s great strengths as a leader, as a person, as a player, is that he’s always put the team first. Having spoken to him, that’s what his intent is.”
Whilst George may no longer lead out his side, deal with the weekly media duties and wear the proverbial ‘armband’ as England captain, Borthwick is still entrusting him in a leadership position. George has been named alongside Bristol Bears prop Ellis Genge as the resident vice-captains, that will play a supporting role to Itoje throughout the 2025 Six Nations campaign.
Borthwick has previously also utilised the likes of Ben Earl and George Ford as vice-captains, and he is delighted to see an abundance of leaders in his squad. Borthwick likened his current crop of leaders to that of the 2003 Rugby World Cup winning England team, who were blessed with an array of club captains from one to 15.
“If you look at the greatest England team – 2003 – and the number of leaders that team had, who captained their clubs, captained England, they had real leadership density. Certainly over this period, that's something we definitely want in this England team.”
“Maro’s a world-class player who has the respect of everybody. Jamie’s done a great job of captaining this side the last 12 months. With Ellis Genge as well, that leadership group that we have, with other players as well, the likes of Ben Earl, we have a great group of leaders within the squad.”
There are also two uncapped players coming into the training squad for the 2025 Men’s Guinness Six Nations, with a pair of Harlequins hoping to earn their Test match stripes. Cadan Murley and Oscar Beard have been lighting up the Premiership for Danny Wilson’s side, with the two backs reoccurring faces in Borthwick’s training camps.
“Cadan, I'm delighted to see him fit and healthy. He's a young man who had a tough period of multiple knocks, back to back, and now being fit and healthy, you see the way he's playing. From being Premiership to try-scorer a couple of years ago and you see that pace and evasiveness he has coming to the fore again. So I'm delighted to be able to select him.
“Oscar Beard has always had the carry, he's a strong, powerful ball carrier, he's got a good kicking game as well. One of the aspects that we were discussing with him a few months previously was around improvements required defensively and to his credit he's gone away and worked hard with the Harlequins coaches and developed and improved in that area.”
Then followed a discussion regarding another Harlequin, and whether England talisman Marcus Smith could be set to once again star at fullback. Smith was utilised in the 15 shirt throughout England’s Rugby World Cup campaign, yet has since established himself ahead of George Ford and Fin Smith as Borthwick’s resident number 10. However, an injury to George Furbank has thrown a spanner in the works, with speculation that Borthwick could be set to unleash Freddie Steward on the wing, and hand Smith the 15 jersey once again.
“I think Marcus is a 10 who can play 15. I think that that’s a conversation I had with Marcus. He sees that the same way. I know his preferred position is 10. I also see, we discussed this at length, that is a player who in space is incredibly dangerous. I’ve started him at 15 in England shirt, but most recently I started him at 10 and then moved to 15 later in games. Having that versatility is really important. I think he’s a 10 who can play at 15.”
However, one experienced member of the senior England squad, who has not made the grade for the 2025 Six Nations is Dan Cole. The veteran tight-head missed out on a place in the 36-man training squad, that was named today at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. Cole is excluded in favour of a returning Bevan Rodd, with Will Stuart and Joe Heyes also involved from a tight-head perspective.
Young talent Asher-Opoku-Fordjour also provides an option in the three jersey, given the Sale man’s impressive versatility to play on both heads of the scrum. Whilst Cole has missed out on the initial squad announcement, Borthwick ensured that the 118-capped Test player is certainly in the mix for a call-up in the latter stages of the grueling five-match campaign.
“I’ve had a number of conversations with Dan and when I spoke to him yesterday and had the conversation with him, it was ‘make sure your phone is on and you are in good condition, because I need you to be ready’. He has absolutely assured me that he will be ready to go. I think also on that call yesterday, I thanked him for everything he continues to do for English rugby.
“He has been absolutely brilliant. The influence he has had within this squad, he has been brilliant with helping players to develop. As a senior player in the squad that is really important and I thanked him for that. I’m sure that if needed he is going to be ready to come back in.”
Looking across the squad, and there is a return to the wider training group for Saracens back row Tom Willis, who has been in outstanding form for the Londoners this season. The number eight has racked up an assortment of Player of the Match awards this season, and it will be interesting to see whether Borthwick will incorporate his Saracens back row partnership with Ben Earl, and move his regular eight-man to start upon the England flanks.
“Tom, he’s player I’ve respected for a long time. When I was coaching at club rugby and coached against him, I see this guy as a top quality player. Then I spoke with him when he was out in France playing (for Bordeaux-Begles) we go back to that period a couple years ago. I think he’s then come back to England, and I talked to him about the speed of Test rugby and the movement required of Test rugby.
“He’s gone away, and every report I get from him at Saracens is how much work he has put in to developing that speed, developing that movement, developing that agility. He’s always been a formidable ball carrier and a tough tackling player. So I think he’s added bits of his game. When a player goes away and goes ‘right, I want to work on these things, I want to get these right,’ I see that and he deserves immense credit for that.
“What I also see with him, is a player who plays incredibly hungry. When you watch him, he’s diving to make a tackle and grabbed a player by the shirt with one hand. He’s at full stretch and he refused to let go of that player until he drove him back in and dragged him to ground. Players with that level of hunger, that level of desire are exactly the type player I want in this England squad.”
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