England team to play Wales: Henry Pollock to start

Head coach Steve Borthwick, who named his 36-man training squad on Friday, has picked a squad full of confidence as they aim to claim their first Six Nations title in over half a decade.

They will need to do it the hard way as trips to Edinburgh and Paris await Borthwick’s side, but how will they line up against Wales in their curtain raiser?

When looking at the front row, loosehead is a pretty straightforward call with Bristol Bears’ Ellis Genge wearing the number one jersey following Fin Baxter’s unavailability for the start of the Championship.

Genge, who has been playing well for the Ashton Gate side, has played a lot of valuable Test match minutes and, for large parts of the tournament, will be needed from the off rather than the bench.

Tighthead is where it gets interesting for England. Bath’s Will Stuart and Sale’s Asher Opoku-Fordjour are sidelined with injury, which welcome’s opportunites, especially with a World Cup in the not too distant future.

Leicester Tigers’ Joe Heyes is now Borthwick’s most experienced player in the position, with 17 caps. He has quickly established himself as the number one for Geoff Parling’s Leicester in the three shirt, and with the noticeable absentees will definitely take his opportunity when given.

At hooker, Jamie George, who announced in the week that he will retire at the end of 2027, is the best technical number two out of the lot. But the questions here will be whether the 35-year-old starts or comes on as an impact player later in the contest.

Accuracy is key, and George will have that in abundance and can handle his nerves in high-pressure scenarios. Interestingly, Luke Cowan-Dickie, with his explosive carrying and scrummaging, brings him into the discussion.

With the messaging against Wales undoubtedly being to score as many points as possible, Cowan-Dickie, although more inconsistent at the set-piece, earns the start for his work rate in getting over the gainline.

Maro Itoje and Ollie Chessum are Borthwick’s aces when it comes to the four and five shirts. Itoje, who will captain the side, has established himself as a world-class operator over the past three or four championships.

Chessum, who has been rising through the ranks, earned himself a spot on the British and Irish Lions tour last summer to Australia. He’s got a great physical presence and offers England different options with his versatility, as he can also play at blindside.

Both have the stamina to play the full 80 minutes and, on a consistent basis, are great assets around the breakdown area, making big hits and carrying the ball with dominant runs.

The flamboyant and unpredictable flair that is Henry Pollock should make his first England start following his senior international debut against Wales last March at Principality Stadium. Still considered by many a rising star of English rugby, Pollock's athleticism and sheer box-office appeal have caused a stir and chaos amongst opposition.

During the autumn, he provided a spark in the closing exchanges of contests, but it will be intriguing to see how he fairs from the off for the go-forward flanker.

Elsewhere, the prominent Ben Earl, who wore the eight jersey in three of England’s four November Tests, is a cornerstone for this England side, and it will be baffling to see him not included in Borthwick’s starting line-up.

The brilliant ball carrier could also see himself later in the contest move to the midfield to provide cover. At openside, the strong, consistent, and defensive Sam Underhill should play. Renowned for his work rate, especially in defence, he often denies the opposition from advancing over the gain line and is exceptional around the breakdown area.

Is there really much need for discussion of who will start at nine and ten for England? Alex Mitchell is the number one choice at scrum-half. The Northampton player has taken his time to be the number one in the shirt after establishing himself firstly at club and international level.

He keeps the tempo of his side’s attack up very well, at times too fast, but against Wales, his tactical kicking and ability to look for gaps in defences will pose a massive threat. Fly-half, if fit, then Fin Smith, but it looks very unlikely against Wales.

Sale Sharks’ George Ford, who was incredibly influential during the 2025 autumn matches, will be aiming to carry that form over into this year’s Six Nations.

He’s solid defensively, and his drop-goal expertise probably won’t be needed against Wales, but deeper into the tournament will be hugely beneficial. Is he England’s best 10 at this current moment?

Continuing through the backline, Max Ojomoh, you would think, would be the ideal inside centre for Borthwick, who will most certainly thrive off having Ford on the inside. Look back to the meeting against Argentina in November, that performance alone should be enough for the Bath player.

But Seb Atkinson is making himself impossible to ignore following Gloucester’s meeting with Bath on Friday. It’s a toss of a coin between the pair.

Joining him should be Exeter Chiefs’ Henry Slade at outside centre. The one-club man player, known for his playmaking ability, works his fellow teammates into space nicely.

He will undoubtedly be huge for England in the championship.

Late on Saturday night, following the conclusion of Harlequins’ bruising 34-7 defeat at the Twickenham Stoop, Freddie Steward, if there were any doubters about the 25-year-old, they were quickly silenced.

Attacking-wise, is where the England full-back thrives under the high ball, is strong, and will be widely needed for Borthwick as England aim to get off to the best possible start against Wales. He’s a complete nuisance with the ball in hand.

Joining him on the wings should be Northampton’s Tommy Freeman and Exeter’s Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. Both are incredibly reliable in attack for club and country; they can be game-changers for Borthwick, not only on February 7 but also up until the intriguing contest at the Stade de France in the final match of the Six Nations.

Ruck Rugby's England starting XV v Wales: Steward; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Ojomoh, Freeman, Ford, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Heyes, Itoje (capt), Chessum, Pollock, Underhill, Earl

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