12 h. ago England drop Marcus Smith to bench as Henry Slade axed for Italy clash

Henry Slade is also left out of the backline as Elliot Daly and Fraser Dingwall come in

Politics

12 h. ago Marcus Smith benched for England’s crucial Six Nations clash with Italy

Borthwick makes controversial call to revamp back lineSlade out of the squad completely for weekend gameMarcus Smith and Henry Slade have been dropped for England’s Six Nations clash with Italy on Sunday with Steve Borthwick overhauling his backline in an effort to kickstart his side’s spluttering attacking.Elliot Daly is preferred at fullback while Fraser Dingwall comes into the side at inside centre as one of five starting Northampton backs with Borthwick making one of the boldest team selections of his tenure to date. Jamie George has also been recalled at hooker to make his first start since losing the captaincy on what will be his 100th appearance for England. Continue reading...

Politics

12 h. ago Marcus Smith benched for England’s Six Nations game with Italy

Coach Steve Borthwick revamps his back lineHenry Slade drops out of the squad for SundayMarcus Smith and Henry Slade have been dropped for England’s Six Nations game with Italy on Sunday with Steve Borthwick overhauling his backline in an effort to kickstart a spluttering attack.Elliot Daly is preferred at full-back while Fraser Dingwall comes into the side at inside centre as one of five starting Northampton backs. Jamie George has been recalled at hooker to make his first start since losing the captaincy on what will be his 100th appearance for England. Continue reading...

Politics

12 h. ago Marcus Smith faces uphill battle to regain England place after Italy axe

Borthwick decision is blow to Smith’s Lions hopesDingwall replaces Slade at inside-centreMarcus Smith faces an uphill battle to regain his England place after Steve Borthwick sought to kickstart his side’s spluttering attack by axing the Harlequins playmaker, dealing a major blow to his British & Irish Lions hopes.Borthwick dropped Smith for Sunday’s Six Nations fixture with Italy in a one-on-one meeting in England’s hotel bar and has offered him no assurances over his future place in the starting XV with Elliot Daly coming in at full-back. In his favoured position of fly-half, Fin Smith continues and with Fraser Dingwall replacing Henry Slade at inside-centre, Borthwick has picked five Northampton backs and highlighted the cohesion that brings. Continue reading...

Events

12 h. ago Marcus Smith DROPPED for England's Six Nations clash as attacking changes made for Italy

Marcus Smith has lost his starting role and will drop the bench as England face Italy at Twickenham with Elliot Daly and Fraser Dingwall coming into the team this weekend

Events

1 week ago Scotland’s Gregor Townsend questions England’s crucial penalty decision

‘I just don’t know how that’s a penalty,’ says head coachSteve Borthwick: ‘They found a way to win the game’Scotland’s coaches and players believe two key officiating decisions potentially denied them another historic Calcutta Cup victory. Gregor Townsend feels his team were unlucky to concede the crucial second-half penalty kicked by Fin Smith that ultimately proved decisive and doubts have also been raised over the solitary English try, scored by Tommy Freeman.Townsend was particularly unhappy about the crucial penalty given against Rory Darge and Tom Jordan for lifting Ben Curry out of a ruck. “I’m going to go through the game two or three times to see whether we could have got better decisions,” said Townsend, the head coach. “I did feel the decision that counted against us for the winning three points where we cleared someone out of the ruck I just don’t know how that’s a penalty. Continue reading...

Politics