sports
March 3, 2026
Borthwick says England failed to meet ‘unwavering standards’ after axing players
Historic overhaul before Six Nations match in Italy
TL;DR
- Steve Borthwick has made nine personnel and three positional changes to the England squad for the match against Italy.
- The overhaul is justified by players failing to meet 'unwavering standards,' especially after the loss to Ireland.
- The entire backline has been changed, with Tommy Freeman shifting to outside-centre and new selections including Fin Smith and Seb Atkinson.
- Changes in the pack see Alex Coles, Jamie George, and Guy Pepper replacing Ollie Chessum, Luke Cowan-Dickie, and Henry Pollock respectively.
- This is the most changes England has made during a Six Nations, surpassing the eight made in 2007.
- Borthwick cited the team's difficulty in adapting to different refereeing interpretations between domestic and international rugby as an area for improvement.
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