Four sevens, three 10s, two locks and one centre. Cracking the Steve Borthwick selection code is getting tougher and tougher. The England head coach is a rather more radical selector than might first appear but it was still with a heavy thud of surprise that his matchday 23 to face Wales on the final Six Nations weekend landed on Wednesday afternoon. A first international start at 13 for Tommy Freeman; a full debut for Tom Roebuck on the wing; a recall for Marcus Smith. So much for cohesion and continuity.
It says a lot about England’s stock of centres that such a radical reshuffle is required because of a single injury. It is not so much a lack of options but their ilk; England are long on players of potential at the position but none, currently, can match what Ollie Lawrence offers in terms of carrying prowess and go-forward.
