What Steve Borthwick would have liked about the Premiership season – and causes for concern

A condensed league comprising 10 clubs concentrated talent and made for a wild ride, with Premiership sides also returning success in the Champions and Challenge Cups. Steve Borthwick will have kept a close eye on proceedings throughout and England’s trip to Japan and New Zealand is just around the corner. What, then, will he have taken from the Premiership campaign as a whole?

The big wins

1. He can keep raiding the Northampton back line

Alex Mitchell, Tommy Freeman and George Furbank started together in the England back line against Ireland and France to finish this year’s Six Nations. Even though Furbank was forced off early in Lyon, the sparky synergy of the Saints collective proved a catalyst of ambition and fluidity for England.

Fraser Dingwall had been discarded after stodgier victories over Italy and Wales, but the resourceful centre might get another go at some point. And this Premiership season has suggested that Fin Smith, Ollie Sleightholme and George Hendy will be ready for Test action soon enough.

The pressure of the play-offs will challenge their decision-making, as did a difficult Champions Cup semi-final against Leinster. Overall, though, Borthwick will know that he has individuals capable of implementing a more nuanced game.

2. But Immanuel Feyi-Waboso must be nurtured

A wing who hunts the ball, picks up plenty of touches and is powerful enough to bump away bigger tacklers around the breakdown, Feyi-Waboso is a rare talent who could enhance England for years. The way he seared around Bundee Aki in the build-up to Marcus Smith’s drop-goal against Ireland epitomised the 21-year-old’s conviction and dynamism.

Defensive mistakes will crop up. There was a bungled blitz in the build-up to Ollie Hassell-Collins’ try for Leicester Tigers on Saturday. But Borthwick’s efforts in pursuing the trainee doctor and pitching an England career have been vindicated already. Now for Feyi-Waboso to string together Test appearances in a team that aims to put the ball in his hands.

3. Options stack up at No 8…

Injuries are an occupational hazard of the sport. Test coaches rarely have a full deck and the attrition rate of back-five positions can be particularly compromising. All that said, England can re-balance their pack according to what is required. Heavier carriers capable of spoiling breakdowns such as Alfie Barbeary and Tom Willis, have enjoyed good seasons. They, plus Zach Mercer, offer an alternative to Ben Earl.

4. …and at hooker

Borthwick’s reliance on Jamie George during the World Cup was unsustainable, showing a serious need for greater depth at hooker. This season will have been encouraging in that regard, with Curtis Langdon outstanding for Saints, Gabriel Oghre among Bristol’s stand-outs and Luke Cowan-Dickie, that warhorse, resurgent in his first campaign at Sale. Add in the development of Theo Dan and decent returns for Jamie Blamire and Sam Riley, the duo used by England A against Portugal, and Borthwick has reserves behind captain George.

5 Scrum-half scenario encouraging

Danny Care has trotted into the sunset, paving the way for Mitchell, Ben Spencer, Jack van Poortvliet, Harry Randall and the contrasting Sale duo of Gus Warr and Raffi Quirke.

6. Fin Baxter serves his apprenticeship

Harlequins wilted against Exeter and Bristol, ending their Premiership season with a whimper. At loosehead prop, though, they have a gem in Fin Baxter, who has kicked on to become a stout scrummager. His performances against Bordeaux and Toulouse in the Champions Cup were immense. Around the field he can play deft passes, as one would expect of a Harlequin, and he hits hard in the tackle. Beno Obano, Bevan Rodd, Emmanuel Iyogun and Tarek Haffar were four more looseheads to catch the eye. Given the calf injury suffered by Ellis Genge, Borthwick needs contingencies.

7. Rough diamonds and wildcards

The progress of Chandler Cunningham-South, whisked into the Six Nations squad as something of a project for Borthwick and his coaches, suggests that this England staff will endeavour to shape raw talent into Test quality – or at least guide it in the right direction. At the other end of the spectrum, Sam Underhill has become more of a jackal threat, showing that relative veterans can expand their repertoires.

With that in mind, Borthwick should feel emboldened to mould individuals with glaring ‘super strengths’ such as Gabriel Ibitoye, a free-running offloader who beat more defenders than anyone else in the Premiership, and jackal king Will Evans.

8. Older stagers stick around

Players leaving this country and ending – or at least pressing pause on – their England careers is becoming normalised. Underhill and Henry Slade were among those to re-sign with their clubs, clearly eager for more under Borthwick. George Ford, along with Dan Cole and Joe Marler, have reinforced the value of experience to the England set-up over recent months.

The concerns

1. Two headache positions remain

There are many who feel that we are overly hung up on the numbers worn by centres. England’s midfield eventually settled during the Six Nations, with Slade attacking as a 12 and defending as a 13 as Ollie Lawrence fulfilled the reverse roles. Borthwick will hope that those players can pick up where they left off and utilise the cohesion they have worked upon. Dingwall is another versatile operator. But when it comes to out-and-out inside centres, England are still thin on the ground, especially now that the safety net of Bayonne-bound Manu Tuilagi is finally gone.

Max Ojomoh is the big prospect here, and is a genuine triple-threat of a centre. The 23-year-old is a passing playmaker, a dangerous carrier and a decent kicker. The trouble, as Borthwick voiced in January, is that Cameron Redpath is preferred for Bath’s big games. Elsewhere in the midfield landscape, Luke Northmore, strapping and skilful yet probably more of a 13, could be worth a try. Poor Ollie Hartley is facing a long lay-off due to a knee injury.

England’s second problem position is tighthead prop. Behind Will Stuart and Dan Cole is Joe Heyes, now up to 141 first-team appearances for Leicester Tigers at the age of 25. With Will Collier and Kyle Sinckler heading offshore, though, and Asher Opoku-Fordjour apparently viewed as a loosehead prop, Josh Iosefa-Scott was fast-tracked into the England A set-up. Telegraph Sport understands that James Harper, who started Sale’s last five league matches and tormented Saracens on Saturday, is under consideration for the summer schedule. Sinckler, incidentally, has left the door open to a return to England for the 2027 World Cup, after a couple of years facing “the best and the biggest” scrummagers with Toulon.

2. Lumpy locks are rare

Related to the tighthead issue is the fact that England do not have a sizeable stock of heavy-set locks weighing over 120kg with which to bolster their scrummaging, mauling and gain-line dominance. George Martin is the main man at the moment. Otherwise, most other locks – Ollie Chessum, Maro Itoje, Alex Coles, Charlie Ewels, Nick Isiekwe – are all lither. France have a phalanx of meatier specimens: Emmanuel Meafou, Romain Taofifénua, Posolo Tuilagi and Paul Willemse as a senior fall-back.

Rusi Tuima at Exeter, impressive for England A in the pummelling of Portugal, has the sort of profile that Borthwick lacks. Ben Bamber is another potential bruiser. Will a Premiership club tap up Junior Kpoku, one of England U20’s Six Nations winners currently playing for Racing 92?

3. Eligibility questions ahead

This is less of a concern than an intriguing query for Borthwick. How proactive will he be in securing the services of players like Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Jacques Vermeulen and Tyrone Green? All of them qualify to represent England in due course and are excellent operators. Rassie Erasmus will have been watching. Borthwick has stuck his elbows out to win eligibility tussles over Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Fin Smith and others. Watch those spaces.