Now that England’s bid to lift the Webb Ellis Cup in France has ended with the uplifting — although ultimately losing — performance in the semi-finals against South Africa, we look at where the team go from here, how they might line up in next year’s Six Nations, and what the make-up of the side who compete at the 2027 World Cup in Australia might be.
Back three
Gloucester’s Jonny May has said he thinks this has been his last tour with England, so he needs to be replaced on the wing. Anthony Watson, when fit, will surely do that. He is a player Steve Borthwick, the head coach, admires deeply and he can be world-class. He’s still only 29, so has much left to give. Saracens’ Elliot Daly, at 31, has time on the clock still. Freddie Steward, the Leicester Tiger, will be around for a decade, you suspect, so the full back position is safe, but he needs to find ways of becoming a better second playmaker. Max Malins, who has moved from Saracens to Bristol Bears, found himself on the fringes of the World Cup squad but will have more chances to impress in the Gallagher Premiership — as will Ollie Hassell-Collins, now at Leicester after London Irish folded, Cadan Murley, from Harlequins, and Joe Cokanasiga at Bath. Cassius Cleaves, the Quins 20-year-old, is admired as a raw talent. Joe Carpenter and Tom Roebuck are good young talents at Sale Sharks too.
The fascinating one is Henry Arundell. He is eligible for the Six Nations next year, but will he be picked? He is not available beyond that because he has joined a French club. Arundell is only 20, and could easily choose to stay at Racing 92 for longer than the year he has signed up for. Why not lap up everything he can in Paris and then return a world-class player for the 2025 Lions tour and 2027 World Cup?
Centres
It will be all change in midfield soon. Manu Tuilagi, of Sale, has not made his future intentions clear, but you cannot see him trucking on until 2027, or even making the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia aged 34. Does Borthwick therefore thank him profusely for his 12 years of service, most of which came when he was battling desperately to be fit, and move Tuilagi on? There is no direct replacement in the system, so England will have to change the way they play.
Joe Marchant will become ineligible for selection on Saturday morning, after the bronze-medal match against Argentina, and will stay in Paris as he joins Stade Français. With him, a Borthwick favourite, gone you suspect Dan Kelly from Leicester could team up well with Bath’s Ollie Lawrence in the centre. Will Joseph, the brother of Jonathan, now at Harlequins after the demise of London Irish, is one to monitor closely too. At 21 he has a lot of growth potential.
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Tommy Freeman, the Northampton Saints wing, could be converted to a big 6ft 2in, 16st outside centre, but fans of more free-flowing rugby would put forward his team-mate Fraser Dingwall. Is he physical enough for Test rugby, though? Henry Slade was the big omission from this World Cup squad. It would not be a surprise if he returned, but he may choose to play one more year at Exeter Chiefs then take a fat contract in France like a lot of his Devon team-mates did this summer. Daly, generally used in the back three for England, can play at outside centre.
Fly halves
Not much needs to, or will, change here. Owen Farrell, now 32, will not be going anywhere, and nor will George Ford, who is still only 30. Expect the Saracen to stay as England captain for as long as he is around. Borthwick has spent much of this World Cup paying incredibly glowing tributes to his skipper, quite a lot of the time unprompted. Ford, now at Sale, is such a good player and will hit 100 caps in ten Tests, but you still feel he will always play second fiddle to Farrell in the eyes of England coaches.
Marcus Smith is the interesting case study for the incoming hybrid contracts. When he was on the verge of leaving for Racing 92, Smith was convinced to stay at Harlequins by Borthwick, who told him he would not be frozen out of the team behind Ford and Farrell. That was true, as Smith discovered in his new full back role, but how long he remains there is interesting. Does Borthwick trust him as a No 10? If he falls out of the team, does Smith, who turns 25 in February, take the money and experience in France while he is still young? Fin Smith, of Northampton, is admired but far back in the pecking order.
Scrum halves
England need to find two new No 9s imminently. While Ben Youngs has not officially retired from Test duty, he is now 34 and has not found a way into the team during this World Cup. He and the 36-year-old Danny Care — who has only a year left on his Harlequins contract — have been incredible servants for England but now must be moved on.
The good news for Borthwick is that he has ready-made options in the form of Jack van Poortvliet, who would have made this World Cup had he not injured his ankle, and Raffi Quirke of Sale. Quirke needs to get back into the starting line-up at his club, having fallen behind Gus Warr last year, and play with a consistent fly half, but can grow into a quick, dynamic replacement for Care, with Van Poortvliet more in the Youngs mould. Those two plus Alex Mitchell, the Northampton Saints scrum half who went from outside the squad to starting, should make a fine trio for many years.
Front row
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Borthwick expressed his frustration at the development of young outside backs during this World Cup. He would have felt it even more acutely with how young English tight-five forwards have been treated. The financial issues at clubs mean many promising props have been holding tackle bags instead of going out on loan and playing rugby.
Kyle Sinckler (Bristol), Will Stuart (Bath) and Joe Heyes (Leicester) are likely to be the Six Nations tight-heads; Ellis Genge (Bristol), Bevan Rodd (Sale) and perhaps Val Rapava-Ruskin (Gloucester) the loose-heads. Behind them is a gap in the depth chart. England recently held their first bespoke training camp for young tight-five forwards with the aim of boosting the development of a promising generation.
Tarek Haffar is a loose-head who was snapped up by Northampton Saints when London Irish went bust. He has been likened in the academy world to Ox Nché, but is faster and more dynamic, which sounds exciting. He has already tasted top-flight rugby. Also on the loose-head side, we have seen Fin Baxter make an impact for Harlequins. On the tight-head side, Gloucester’s Afolabi Fasogbon is another who came through the London Irish ranks and the 6ft 3in prop is rated as a major prospect. Leicester’s Tim Hoyt and Asher Opoku-Fordjour, of Sale, are also highly regarded by age-group coaches.
Theo Dan needs to develop his set piece to inherit the hooker’s jersey from Saracens team-mate Jamie George and Sale’s Luke Cowan-Dickie but he has all the other qualities required to make it. Sam Riley, at Harlequins, is coming through and on the wider radar is Kepu Tuipulotu, a Harrow schoolboy whose sister is a star of the Wales women’s team.
Second row
England will lose David Ribbans to Toulon but otherwise their immediate options in the second row remain strong, with Leicester’s George Martin having announced himself in the World Cup semi-final. Sale’s Jonny Hill will come back into contention. Longer term, there is the prospect of a Chessum double act. Ollie Chessum has established himself rapidly in the squad while his young brother, Lewis, recently captained England Under-20 and is even taller at 6ft 7in and 19st. He was joined in the squad last season by Robert Carmichael, who is bigger still. All three are on the books at Leicester.
Back row
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Chandler Cunningham-South, snapped up by Harlequins from London Irish, played some second row for England Under-20 but he is a No 8 with a future, potentially as a long-term replacement for Saracens’ Billy Vunipola. England are well placed for loose forwards, with Tom Willis, of Saracens, and Tom Pearson, of Northampton, having narrowly missed out on World Cup selection. Saracens’ Ben Earl has been one of their best players in France. Martin and Ollie Chessum can both play blind-side flanker or lock. Alfie Barbeary, for so long considered a prospect, is back playing for Bath again after a run of injuries and he will catch the eye if he can stay fit. Guy Pepper has played for Newcastle Falcons as a teenager and was described by one coach as being “Mark Wilson 2.0” — rock hard, strong and physical.
Coaches
There are suggestions that the defence coach Kevin Sinfield may move on and go back to rugby league. The arrival of the Irishman Felix Jones, who could be a double World Cup winner by the time he comes from the Springboks in January, will soften that blow. He has coached the attack and the defence of the world’s leading team. Richard Wigglesworth, the attack coach, and Tom Harrison, the scrum coach, should stay and develop.
