"Positions up for grabs" - Steve Borthwick reveals five nailed-on starters for Rugby World Cup

Kicking-off in September, England Head Coach Steve Borthwick has just over five months to come to grips on his starting XV, and decide who will lead from the front in France.

Speaking to the media this week, the England coach revealed he only has 'five nailed-on starters' with plenty of positions in the team still up for grabs.

There has been lots of discussion around England selection in recent weeks, with the Smith-Farrell-Ford debate taking centre stage. It is hard to decipher as to who will lead England in the 10 jersey, but there are areas of the squad where Borthwick has nailed a name to the shirt.

England begin their 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign on the 9th of September, as they head to Marseille for a clash with Argentina. Here are five nailed on England stars, that if match fit, would be expected to start against Los Pumas.

Undoubtedly one of England's most consistent players throughout the 2023 Six Nations, Ellis Genge has evolved into a true leader in Steve Borthwick's squad.

Starting the competition in a co-vice captain role alongside Courtney Lawes, with Owen Farrell taking full leadership, Genge was soon awarded the 'invisible armband' for the round four fixture against France. With Lawes injured, and Farrell dropped to the bench in favour of Marcus Smith, Genge led valiantly against Les Bleus, yet England were overcome as a whole.

The 'Baby Rhino' is all grown up, with the prop battering his way through defensive lines throughout the competition.

An impressive work rate for his time on the pitch, the Bristol Bears star led the carry per minute charts heading into the France match. Arguably the best loose-head prop in the world, Genge has grown into an astounding ball carrier, resilient scrummager and a true leader on the pitch. When Borthwick puts pen to paper in France, expect Genge to be the first name on the ever-competitive team sheet.

A definitive break-out star of the 2023 Six Nations for England fans, Ollie Lawrence grabbed his opportunity with two hands and carried straight to break the gain-line. Given the start after Manu Tuilagi was suspended for a 'forearm hit' on Tommy Freeman, Lawrence took the chance and never looked back. It has been a whirlwind six months for Lawrence, as last October the centre faced rugby redundancy, with his beloved boyhood club Worcester Warriors entering financial administration.

Thankfully, the 23-year-old was quickly picked up by Bath, and Lawrence began to impress in black and blue, often turning his opponents the same colour with bruising carries. Lawrence came a close second, to Ellis Genge's carries per minute record after the first three rounds of the 2023 Six Nations.

He has certainly been impactful in attack, and made his mark with the match-winning try against Wales.

An unfortunate hamstring injury against France opens the door for Tuilagi to make his England return, with the Sale Shark expected to slot into the centre against Ireland. Lawrence left on his own two feet, implying that the injury is not severe and he'll make a comeback before too long. When Lawrence returns, expect Borthwick to give the Bath player another run out in the middle of the park, with World Cup warm-up matches being decisive moments for Lawrence to re-claim his jersey.

In January, England fans held their breath after the news broke of Elliot Daly's hamstring tear. It was announced that the full-back would miss the entire 2023 Six Nations, with the Saracen side-lined for three months after suffering the injury in the Champions Cup against Edinburgh. However, Freddie Steward soon eased England fans' nerves, and has won the hearts of the supporters with inspired performances throughout the competition.

Starting every match so far for England, Steward has easily been one of the best players on the pitch each time out. Always beating his first man, the 22-year-old gets spectators out of their seats when he sets off from the back-field.

Dangerous running lines reminiscent of a prime Mike Brown, Steward leads the Six Nations carrying charts with 53 in four matches, and has also made the most metres out of any England player, accruing 402m with ball-in-hand.

A Player of the Match award, for his masterful performance against Wales, sees Steward steadily becoming Borthwick's nailed on number 15.

4. Maro Itoje (Honourable Mention to Ollie Chessum)

After a shaky start to the Six Nations, Maro Itoje has bounced back from the criticism, and proved the doubters wrong. A sub-par performance by his own standards against Scotland sent Itoje into the scrutiny spotlight, however, the Saracen responded in his own style, keeping quiet and letting his actions do the talking.

Leading the tackle charts for England with 58 completed hits in four matches, Itoje is back to his defensive best. Again excelling at the set-piece, the lock is leading the line-out with confidence, and imposing himself on the breakdown. Itoje has made four turnovers in this year's Championships, which also tops the charts for England players.

An honoruabe mention must go to Itoje's lock partner Ollie Chessum, as few would have expected Chessum to establish himself as a nailed on starter within the England second row, so soon after his debut. Little over a year since Chessum's off-the-bench debut, in England's 33-0 whitewash of Italy in last years' Six Nations, the 22-year-old looks set to be one of Borthwick's starting locks for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, once he is able to return to full fitness.

If all goes to plan, Chessum's injury timeline sees the lock set to return to England in August, ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup the following month. Borthwick has confirmed these plans, and after an astounding Six Nations campaign, it was such a shame for Chessum to suffer the untimely dislocated ankle in training.

He will undergo ankle surgery on Monday, and has been written out of the St Patrick's weekend trip to Dublin, yet his four previous Six Nations appearances were superb. Everything you would want from an international calibre second row, Chessum is a workhorse in defence, with deceptive pace to tackle the most elusive ball carriers.

Chessum has established a word-class lock partnership with Maro Itoje, and even out-performed the veteran lock against Scotland. England's Assistant Coach Kevin Sinfield said how Chessum will be missed against Ireland.

He told BBC Sport; "Really disappointed, he's been outstanding for us throughout this campaign. He's a big loss for us. So our thoughts and wishes are with him and we hope for a speedy recovery."

Propping up the tight-head side of the scrum, Kyle Sinckler might as well get the number three tattooed on his back at this point. Comfortably England's best choice to partner up with Ellis Genge, Sinckler brings equal amounts of technical prowess and driving power to the England scrum.

The clear option as Genge and Sinker's Bristol Bears partnership adds an extra level of familiarity to the England pack, the 29-year-old is the right man for the right side of the front row.

Sinckler's hot-headedness has certainly calmed down within the past few years, with the prop able to keep his cool in pressurised scenarios. England rely on Sinckler, as the tight-head prop position is one without an abundance of options for Borthwick to chose from.

Dan Cole was recalled to the England squad by his former Leicester Tigers Head Coach, yet the 35-year-old is yet to start, with Sinckler taking the lead and Cole emptying the tank for the last 15-20 minutes so far this competition.