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Steve Borthwick is ready to radically overhaul his misfiring England side for the Six Nations clash against Italy on Saturday, with Fin Smith expected to be handed the No 10 jersey.
The Northampton fly-half sat out training on Monday because of illness but England have been quick to allay fears that his participation against Italy is in doubt. Provided he recovers, Smith is expected to start at fly-half in place of George Ford.
Since the tour of Argentina last summer, Ford has established himself as Borthwick’s first-choice fly-half but he endured a miserable outing against Ireland and was jeered by supporters after twice missing touch with kicks to the corner. Smith, meanwhile, has played a bit-part role in the championship to date.
Borthwick is also expected to rejig his centre combination and back three in a back-line that may feature only one survivor from the dismal defeat by Ireland, with Tommy Freeman expected to move from wing to centre.
With Alex Mitchell absent because of a hamstring injury, Ben Spencer of Bath is the favourite for the No 9 jersey, ahead of Leicester’s Jack van Poortvliet.
Without Ollie Lawrence, who has a knee injury, Freeman is expected to return to outside-centre where he started against Wales and Scotland, with Tom Roebuck returning on the right wing. At full-back, Freddie Steward’s place is under considerable threat, while on the left wing Cadan Murley is under consideration for a second Six Nations appearance, while Seb Atkinson is ready to take Fraser Dingwall’s place at inside-centre. There are fewer changes expected in the pack but Borthwick has a concern over Ollie Chessum, who sat out training on Monday.
England’s hopes of clinching the Six Nations title are over but they have never lost against Italy and the back-rower Ben Earl has revealed there have been some home truths aired this week.
“These are the weeks where boys have a little glint in their eye,” he said. “They mean business. You look at some of the big guys in our squad and go, ‘something good is coming’. We are all hoping that is going to materialise on Saturday.
“A few of us had a meeting last Wednesday and laid it bare. There are people in the squad who don’t feel they’ve pulled their weight or performed well enough. Once you get that out there, it’s about how you move forward.”
England have also received words of inspiration from the two-time Olympic skeleton gold medallist Matt Weston. The 29-year-old was the favourite for gold at Milan-Cortina and lived up to his billing, having fallen short at the Beijing Winter Olympics four years ago.
“He spoke about Beijing and how he felt like he’d really let everyone down,” Earl said. “He spoke about a big push to get to the Olympics just gone and about his four-year plan. Obviously that made boys’ ears prick up with talk of World Cup cycles. Then we went on to say what he had to do to be in the best place for that Olympics and the hardships he went through in those four years. The boys here were thinking: ‘That’s exactly what we’re going through.’”
Meanwhile, the Six Nations trophy has been damaged beyond repair in a vehicle fire in Ireland, organisers have announced. No one was injured in the accident, which took place after the third round, and the remains of the trophy will be used to create a new piece of silverware. It will not be ready in time for presentation this year, however, meaning the winners will receive a replica.
