"Asher's debut and Tom Curry is back" – 5 Talking Points: Steve Borthwick's England squad to play Japan in Autumn Nations Series
Today at 10:48 AM
Steve Borthwick has named his final England match day squad for 2024, with the head coach confirming his side to take on Japan in their last match of the Autumn Nations Series. Borthwick has cast his eye to the future of his England team with the inclusion of debutant prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour, who is selected on the bench, with no place in the squad for Test match veteran Dan Cole.
There are also some cleared up question marks around the inclusion of Tom Curry, after the Sale Sharks man was knocked unconscious just a fortnight ago against Australia. Curry’s return has come with mixed reviews from the online rugby landscape given the back rows’ history of injuries, and whether an exhibition Test match against Japan is worth the risk of the talented Sale man.
Borthwick is determined to see his side secure their first win of the Autumn, with England’s losing streak now extending out to five consecutive fixtures. After two Summer defeats to the All Blacks away in New Zealand, England suffered an additional defeat to Scott Robertson’s side to start their Autumn Series, before succumbing to two more defeats to Australia and South Africa throughout the past fortnight. Coincidentally, England last tasted victory at the expense of Japan, with Borthwick’s side getting the upper hand of the Brave Blossoms with a 52-17 win.
There is plenty on the line for England heading into this match, with an added layer of spice as Eddie Jones gets set to return to Twickenham. Jones has been the head coach of Japan since cutting ties with the Wallabies after the Rugby World Cup 2023, and the Aussie would love nothing more than to lead Japan to their first ever win at the home of English Rugby. So, with plenty of personal pride on the line in England’s last match of the year, here are the five biggest talking points from Steve Borthwick’s squad announcement.
ENGLAND TEAM TO PLAY JAPAN: AUTUMN NATIONS SERIES (ROUND 4)
15. George Furbank 14. Tommy Freeman 13. Ollie Lawrence 12. Henry Slade 11. Ollie Sleightholme 10. Marcus Smith 9. Jack van Poortvliet 1. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 65 caps) 2. Jamie George 3. Will Stuart 4. Maro Itoje 5. George Martin 6. Tom Curry 7. Sam Underhill 8. Ben Earl
Replacements: 16. Luke Cowan-Dickie 17. Fin Baxter 18. Asher Opoku-Fordjour 19. Nick Isiekwe 20. Chandler Cunningham-South 21. Harry Randall 22. Fin Smith 23. Tom Roebuck
1. Tom Curry returns after being knocked out against Australia a fortnight ago
An immediate inclusion that jumps out of the team sheet, is the return of Tom Curry to the England squad. The Sale Sharks back row sustained a head injury in the recent defeat to Australia, as he was knocked unconscious by the powerful leg drive of Rob Valentini. Curry put his head the wrong side of the Wallabies back row’s charging legs, and caught a knee square to the skull, that left him out cold on the deck.
With player welfare at the forefront of the modern day rugby landscape, the question marks have understandably been raised given Curry’s return. England head coach Steve Borthwick has ensured that the flanker has successfully completed his return to play protocol, and addressed the selection of the hard-hitting back row, that is set for his return.
STEVE BORTHWICK: “I think in terms of that back row, it’s a back row we played once before, back in the World Cup in 2023.”
“I think it’s a back row that’s got a lot of speed in it. We want to play fast, Japan want to play fast, we want to play fast. So there’s a lot of athleticism in that back row and I’m looking forward to seeing them work together this weekend.”
“There are stringent measures in terms of the players return to play. The welfare health of players is paramount. He’s gone through all those protocols, a number of different consultations, independent specialist consultations. He feels great, he’s raring to go. The process has been very thorough.”
2. Asher Opoku-Fordjour set for his England debut – is Dan Cole’s international career over?
Steve Borthwick has included Asher Opoku-Fordjour in his match day squad, with the highly rated prop set for his England debut off the bench against Japan. It is an exciting time for the England U20 star, who has the highly sort after quality of being able to pack down the scrum on both the loose and tight heads. However, with Opoku-Fordjour getting the call-up, there is no space in the squad for veteran tight-head Dan Cole.
The Leicester Tigers prop has long kept his cards close to his chest in terms of his England career, with the sands of time understandably ticking down on the 37-year-old’s Test match longevity. Cole has recently expressed how he is taking his England career ‘one day at a time’, and Opoku-Fordjour could get passed the torch for the future of the England three jersey.
“So the very first training session Asher, it was three weeks ago when he came to the squad and he certainly took no step backwards.
“He really went out in the session and I think everybody in the squad, everybody around was working with the squad and Australia were a competitive player, this guy is. I think he ended up with a load of stitches over one eye, with a dead leg, he looked like he played a physical match. It was training, but that’s the nature, he throws himself into it and that impresses absolutely everybody in the squad.”
3. Fin Smith selected on the replacements – No space for George Ford in the freshened up squad
The cries of England fans look to have been answered this week, with Fin Smith selected for the battle with the Brave Blossoms. There has been plenty of demand for the Northampton Saints man, with Smith not included in any of the previous three Test matches against New Zealand, Australia or South Africa.
Fin Smith surpasses George Ford to the replacement fly half spot, as the halfback is penned into the number 20 shirt for the final match of the Autumn Nations Series. Marcus Smith once again takes up the 10 shirt and will lead the England attack, with the Harlequin completing the quartet of Autumn matches as the first choice fly half.
Smith is expected to come on in the closing stages of the match to see out the win for England, with the ‘final blow’ being something that Borthwick’s side have struggled to achieve in recent weeks. The England head coach expressed how he aims to utilize his young guns to bring home the first win after five losses.
STEVE BORTHWICK: “We put ourselves against the best teams in the world, and put ourselves in a position to win those games. Not delivering the final blow has certainly been (an issue), that final punch. It’s certainly something we’re disappointed and frustrated we haven’t been able to do. Many of the things have been working very well, to get us into those positions.”
“I think when you start looking at the number of new caps that we’ve had throughout this year, I think this is (Asher Opoku-Fordjour) actually the ninth new cap in 12 test matches. You start looking at the transition of where this team is now compared to where it was a year ago. I’d say there’s been a lot of transition through this year already. I think we’ve moved on in terms of the transition of the team to a younger group of players very quickly this year.”
4. George Furbank return to the England back three with Freddie Steward bumped out
There is a change in the England back three, with George Furbank back in the squad after missing out in last weekend’s defeat to the Springboks. Furbank was removed from the entire match day 23 for the nine point loss to South Africa, as Freddie Steward was called in for the heavy tactical focus upon the kick-chase battle. As expected, Steward was repeatedly tested under the Springboks high ball, as the likes of Grant Williams and Manie Libbok peppered the England back-field with plenty of testing kicks.
Despite a solid enough showing (at the exclusion of a couple of missed tackles), Steward is out of the last Test of the year, with Furbank taking his place in the 15 shirt. The approach to Eddie Jones’ Japan looks to get the ball back on the deck, with Borthwick explaining the decision for an All-Saints back row with George Furbank linking up with Ollie Sleightholme and Tommy Freeman.
STEVE BORTHWICK: “I’m delighted to see him back in there. I thought Freddie Stewart played really well last week and obviously very disappointed to miss out on the selection so we’ve got two really good full backs there. It was a lot of similarities, different skill sets. Japan played a different tactical challenge to what they faced last week. We want to do some different things in the way we attacked, specifically this week, hence the selection at full-back.”
5. Eddie Jones is unwell today – Will the Japan head coach make it to his Twickenham return?
Whilst the fifth talking point on the England squad announcement was not specific to Steve Borthwick’s squad, an area of discussion is the health of Japan head coach Eddie Jones. The former England head coach was set to make his return to Twickenham this Sunday, in what would be his first appearance at the Allianz Stadium since he coached the Barbarians to a win over the World XV in the Summer of 2023.
Jones was set to speak with the media this afternoon, however the Australian had to step down from the press duties due to an unforeseen illness. Whilst Borthwick did not pass comment upon Jones’ status, it was certainly a notable point of discussion for England’s incoming opponents.
The post “Asher’s debut and Tom Curry is back” – 5 Talking Points: Steve Borthwick’s England squad to play Japan in Autumn Nations Series appeared first on Ruck.
