The Six Nations is upon us...We've picked our England Squad
- Chris McKenna
- Jan 12
- 17 min read
The Six Nations is nearly upon us and that can mean only one thing…it’s squad selection time! England announce their squad on Tuesday the 14th January and as social media is rife with speculation, we thought we’d throw our 2 cents in.
This is such a competitive list, I was looking at the depth chart available to England at the moment and most positions are in excess of 8 players deep! So whittling it down to 36 has proven no easy task, but that's what we have done. We used a mix of the players stats from the current Premiership season, their ratings from Oval Insights which use 18 months worth of player stats and performance weighted by the actions on the game to give a rating both overall and in specific areas of their game. We've also added a healthy dose of gut feel as well just for good measure!
Injury List
We’re tracking 11 players that are currently unavailable for selection that we would have considered.
Name | Position |
Emanuel Iyogun | Prop |
Afolabi Fasogbon | Prop |
Nick Isiekwe | Lock |
Jonny Hill | Lock |
Guy Pepper | Flanker |
Sam Underhill | Flanker |
Raffi Quirke | Scrum Half |
Will Muir | Wing |
Gabriel Ibitoye | Wing |
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso | Wing |
George Furbank | Fullback |
A host of talent out but opportunity for some players who have torn the Premiership apart this season.
Now for the fun part… the team. So without further a do here is our England squad for the Guiness Six Nations. Before you tell us how wrong we are (there’ll be chance for that later) let me explain.
My Six Nations Squad
Ellis Genge.
At 1.85m and 117kg Genge isn’t necessarily the largest of Looseheads available to England but he’s likely one of the least controversial names on this list. Former premiership winning captain now a destructive force for Bristol Bears in their run to 2nd in the premiership. According to Oval insights he is the highest rated scrummager (94.8 out of 100) not just available to England but in the whole of the premiership, which in a league that contains Thomas du Toit is no small feat! What’s more impressive is it’s not even his highest rated quality with Carrying being IMMENSE (97.8) he is destructive in the loose and a strong leader in the England team being an excellent mentor to some of the more junior players coming through. So far this season he averages 3.5 defenders beaten per 80 minutes…for context that would put him middle of the pack in the wingers in this squad. He also makes more turnovers than any prop in this list, makes the most offloads / 80 carries the most metres and makes the most metres after contact, none of which will be a surprise! The only negative I can find in the stats is that he has the second highest penalties / 80 (2) stats and the highest handling errors (1.24).
Fin Baxter
The baby-faced assassin makes our squad comfortably, the young gun has yet to show a dominant performance at test level. However, if we’re honest it’s impressive that, at 22, a prop has made it to test level and doesn’t look out of place. The guy has a serious engine and dogged work rate, topping the tackles / 80 for props (14), he also holds the most minutes on average having 70+ in over half of his games. Don’t let his baby face fool you either, the lad is almost identical to Genge in terms of weight and height. With experience, this kid is going to be one to watch for the future, with particular emphasis on RWC 2027.
Bevan Rodd
As I write this, Bevan Rodd has played his way into this squad. His performance against the Stormers, albeit a losing one was seriously impressive. He quite literally scrummaged Frans Malherbe off the pitch with the RSA tighthead receiving a yellow card for repeated scrum infringements. He has been in and around the squad for some time now and he seems to have been working heavily on his scrummaging. He does give away over 3 penalties a game though which at test level can cost a team heavily so that will be a definite development point in camp.
Will Stuart
Not that it should be the main metric against which we measure our props, but Will Stuart has scored more tries / 80 than any other prop on our list! On the areas we should be measuring for our props, Stuart is the highest rated English qualified tighthead in the Gallagher Premiership at 92.3 out of 100 with Richard Palframan the only other tighthead ranked higher. He’s also deceptively nimble for someone who is 1.89m and weighs 132kg, which shows in the second highest carrying metres / 80 of all the props we looked at and the second highest turnover stats. He also maintains a really low handling error rate of .2 / 80 which is something common to test level players.
Asher Opoku-Fordjour
Much has been said about this exciting young prospect who made his debut in the Autumn nations at the age of 20 (youngest ever, beating the previous record holder Jason Leonard by 2 years!). The Loosehead come Tighthead can still play both sides (HUGELY valuable) and has made the 3 jersey his at Sale in a team that prides themselves on physicality and set piece dominance. He is also quite effective in the loose with the second highest defenders beaten (1 per 80 minutes played) with his try against Leicester showing his impressive turn of pace! While the 6 Nations will offer sterner tests of his abilities than Japan, he has already seen off some of the biggest names in his opposite number, including Andrew Porter when they went head-to-head in last year’s Championship. Game time at this point in his career is sure to benefit him and England can expect to reap the rewards for years to come.
Trevor Davison
Davison has had to wait and bide his time for his chance in the England squad to come and now that it is here, I think he deserves the chance to stay in the squad. He has been instrumental in filling the big shoes left by the Waller brothers at Northampton and provides a solid set piece from which the Saints launch their scything strike plays. His 2 Tries came in the 61-0 destruction of Newcastle Falcons (his former club). While he may not feature in many of the flashy stats, he does the job you need of him and maintains one of the best discipline records and lowest error rates, which at test level is hugely important!
Jamie George
97 England Caps, England Captain, 300 Caps for Saracens, 3 x 6N winner (1 Grand Slam), RWC Silver and Bronze, 2 x Lions tourist, 3 x Champions cup winner, 6 x Premiership winner. That’s a pretty serious CV! He has the second highest strike rate of the Hookers we considered at .65 Tries / 80 minutes and the second highest lineout grade of 93.1 out of 100. He doesn’t feature in the leaderboards of the flashy attacking stats anymore but what he does do is put in the work with the highest tackle rate / 80 (13.8), The highest scrum success, the cleanest discipline record for any hooker and the 2nd lowest error rate in terms of handling.
Luke Cowan-Dickie
If you just go off current form and stats then Cowan-Dickie is definitely your man. He has the highest strike rate in terms of Tries at .8 / 80 minutes, Tops completed lineouts with 15.5 / 80 minutes, 2nd in Turnovers (.77 per 80) and the 2nd best discipline record. He is the highest graded Hooker in the Premiership and the highest graded lineout thrower. He has long been in the England mix and after a brief hiatus due to injury and a potential move to France it is great to have him back!
Jamie Blamire
This is likely to be one of the more controversial choices in this list (there’s a couple so read on). Blamire has consistently shone in a poorly performing Newcastle team, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him shoot up the pecking order when he moves to Leicester Tigers next season. In his 7 England caps he has scored 6 Tries (admittedly quite a few of these against the likes of Canada, USA and Tonga) but nonetheless he has an impressive record. He has the bulk to pack down in the Scrum effectively and is good in the loose as well. His lineout rating is the lowest of those considered but is reliable. He comes in at second for Offloads, third for metres after contact and third for metres carried of all those considered.
Ollie Chessum
The England lock has had a tough run of injuries and it’s a real boon for England that he is back in the mix. It’s a mark of his quality that we put him straight back in the squad after his injury layoff and lack of game time. In his 311 minutes so far this season he averages 1.3 defenders beaten per 80 and tops the chart for Metres after contact with 15.7 per 80 minutes played. His versatility is a huge factor in his selection as well with his ability to move to 6 (where he played a big part in the much-lauded English victory over Ireland) a valuable asset.
George Martin
Known for his defensive prowess Martin has suffered potentially a lull in form but even so he makes our squad comfortably. He has the second highest lineout grade and the joint highest defence grade at 88.6. His heft is also very valuable in the Scrum with his 123KG making a big difference which was notable in the RWC semi-final where the scrum began to struggle without his weight there. While his tackle numbers might be lower than some of the players we looked out, that doesn’t account for quality and Martin is quite adept at poleaxing people
Maro Itoje
When there is a chant surrounding a player, you can reasonably assume they are pretty good. Of no one is this truer than Maro Itoje. Selected as club captain for Saracens this season where he has led them to 3rd despite being in a year of heavy transition. He had gone through a bit of a lull in form, but he is definitely back. He seems to rise to occasions and the bigger the game the better he plays. The second highest rated lock in the prem at 91.1 and the highest available to England and the same is true of his lineout rating at 92.7. A turnover merchant, he has racked up 1.45 per 80 minutes so far this season as well as poaching a lineout every other game. The negative to his game is he does give away the highest number of penalties and yellow cards per game.
Arthur Clark
Another new introduction, this time via the England A team that played against Australia A and won. At 2.03m (6’8”) and 126kg he adds some much-needed heft to the forward pack. He has the second highest turnover rate, the highest metres carried per 80 and the highest defenders beaten (1.12). He doesn’t have the highest lineout stats but the England squad under Steve Borthwick is the perfect place to improve in that area and he maintains the lowest handling error rate of all locks considered.
Ted Hill
Seriously unlucky to miss out in the Autumn by our estimations. At 6’5” and 112kg he is a big back row and one that is extremely quick when he gets going, credited by Jonny May as having winger’s pace. He also adds a huge amount of value at lineout time being a proficient jumper and he steals almost a lineout per 80 minutes he plays! He is the highest rated Lineout back rower in the premiership and is consistently strong across all other ratings. By my thinking he has the potential to be the replacement for Courtney Lawes, which is about as high praise as I can give.
Chandler Cunningham-South
Another option at blindside and what an option he is! 6’4 and 120kg, most will know him for his destructive carrying and being a force in defence. He has struggled for form recently for Harlequins but his potential sees him come into the squad. He is improving in his work as a lineout forward and he is only going to get better with time.
Tom Willis
Certainly one of the least controversial players in this squad, and that he is an addition really says something. His form has been UNDENIABLE in the prem so far. He tops the squad (not just the back row) for defenders beaten with 6.5 per 80 minutes played, for Metres in Contact with a whopping 24.2 per 80 played, Offloads with 2, and third in tackles per game! His ratings are also off the charts being the highest rated Back rower in the prem according to Oval Insights data model which accounts for 18 months of player stats and weights them by impacts on the game.
Ben Earl
One of England’s stand out players so far. Such a dynamic and hard carrying back rower. For England he plays the role of their primary carrier, and he does it well. He has historically played 8 for England but alternates now between 7 and 8 for his club Saracens, as well as having experimented at centre internationally, positional flexibility which is hugely valuable! Of the back rowers considered he has the 3rd most metres in contact and tops the numbers for Line Breaks. I don’t think there are many that would disagree with his inclusion.
Tom Curry
It is mad to think that at 26 Tom Curry is a veteran of international rugby with 56 caps! He can play across the back row and when on form is probably one of the best back rowers in the world. So far this season he tops the turnover charts of those in the squad and is second of those considered with 1.36 turnovers per 80 minutes played. England have lacked an elite jackal threat so those who can are really important to the overall squad in my opinion.
Ben Curry
How useful is it when one of your best players has an identical twin! When Sale sharks played Bristol there was a chase back where Ben Curry outran a winger, which is testament to both the work rate and outrageous pace of the back rower. He is a captain for Sale Sharks and a key player for the team. He is the 3rd highest rated back rower available to England.
Jack Kenningham
This was a tough one. The spot would have been occupied by Sam Underhill had he been fit but his absence leaves space for someone new to come in to the squad and even then, there was tight competition. Kenningham has averaged nearly 2 turnovers per 80 which is really important and has made 123 tackles so far this season with a 91.4% tackle success rate which could help shore up the English defence. At 6’3” he is also a lineout option. A versatile back rower he covers 6 and 7.
Alex Mitchell
His presence was sorely missed in the Autumn Nations and now he’s back. It’s pretty clear that he is England’s first choice Scrum Half. His kicking accuracy combined with his running threat make him a potent threat with the highest Metres Carried and Metres after Contact of the 9s considered.
Jack van Poortvliet
After fighting back from injury he made his international return in the Autumn Nations. A player with huge potential, he has captained his club, Leicester Tigers this season and has quickly begun returning to form. He is one of the more conservative choices at Scrum Half but sometimes that is needed.
Will Porter
Another inclusion from the England A team that played Australia A. A very promising young player who has now taken the starting jersey at Harlequins from the England centurion Danny Care. He combines a really effective kicking game with a running threat and could prove to be an effective test player.
Marcus Smith
The incumbent England 10 was the shining light in a bleak Autumn for England fans. I personally love the competitive edge he brings to matches. His game management has come along a long way and is a clear inclusion in the squad. He presents the biggest running threat of any 10 in the prem, graded at 96.62 out of 100 and makes 1.2 line breaks, beats 3.1 defenders, carries for 50.3 metres, and makes 5.82 metres after contact per 80, all the highest of the 10s considered.
Fin Smith
The youngest of the 10 options for England he has had a meteoric rise with Northampton. He is a gifted player with a massive ceiling. Where he really shines is his accuracy from the tee and his ferocity in defence, exemplified last week against Bath in his tackle on Miles Reid. Statistically he makes the most tackles per 80 of any 10 at 11.97.
George Ford
The hero of Marseille who pretty much single handedly beat Argentina makes the squad with room to spare. The master of the tactical kicking game he is rated the highest according to Oval for his kicking prowess, he has lacked minutes so far, the premiership season due to a series of injuries from which, we understand he is due to recover from imminently.
Ollie Lawrence
One of the most important players for England at the minute, he probably doesn’t need much justification. He’s been player of the match in over half of the games he has played this season and has the highest strike rate in terms of tries of any of the players who have played consistently this season. He also dominates Metres Carried (52.4), Metres in Contact (14.8), Offloads (1.5) all the while maintaining a high degree of discipline and a low error count.
Luke Northmore
I was really excited to see Northmore starting to play 12 for Quins. I think he is an exciting option at 12 which would allow Ollie Lawrence to move to 13 which is the position he routinely plays at Bath. Northmore would be on the smaller side of test inside centres but only marginally, giving up 2kgs on someone line De Allende. He has played at both Inside and Outside centre allowing him to switch sides with Lawrence similar to what they have been doing with Slade and he can cover wing with his pace. He beats more defenders (4.06) than any of the centres considered, wins the most turnovers (.55) and puts in the second most tackles (10.24).
Max Ojomoh
He hasn’t played many games so far this season but there is real quality here. He played a great game in the comprehensive defeat of Portugal by England A. He is a powerful carrier with a rating of 84.6 and the second highest amount of metres after contact with 11.3.
Henry Slade
A silky-smooth player on his day, I almost didn’t select him for this team but his experience could be really important in bringing on the next generation. He has been playing most of his rugby at 10 for Exeter this season which means his stats are somewhat deceptive for the position he would almost certainly be considered for in the England team.
Tom Roebuck
A winger with a huge work rate. Scored his first try internationally against Japan in the Autumn. He is a really strong kick chaser and defender which while not the sexy side of work for a winger is hugely important and one of the areas that gave Jonny May his position for so long. Even with that being true he has the second highest try scoring strike rate of the wingers in this list and the third of those considered. He also has the lowest rate of Handling errors which for a kick chasing wing with the current laws is really impressive.
Ollie Sleightholme
Last season he was the top try scorer in the league, and he seems to beat defenders for fun. He still has the highest strike rate on this list for tries scored at 0.9 per 80 played. And the second most defenders beaten at 4.18. He made a few defensive errors in the Autumn and will need to be strong in the air but definitely sticking with him for his electric pace and nose for the try line.
Cadan Murley
Recently returned from injury and he is coming back into form. He scores a try every other game for Harlequins and makes more line breaks than any other winger on this list. He has been patiently waiting for his opportunity to get in this England squad, and Feyi-Waboso’s injury (disappointing as it is for England fans) may just have provided an opportunity.
Tommy Freeman
Another one who has really made the England shirt their own. He started every game of the Autumn and his form in the Prem would say there is no sign of that stopping. He can play at centre and wing and combines robust carrying with electric pace. All that coupled with his industriousness have given him the highest defenders beaten stats per 80 minutes (4.49) of any winger on this list along with the highest metres after contact and tackles.
Freddie Steward
AKA Air Steward, he is almost unquestionably the best FB in the air in the world, which has become ever more important with the new laws around the net and protection of catchers. He has been working on his attacking form as well which has seen him have a strike rate of every other game for his club Leicester Tigers. At 6’5” and 105.2kg many have called for him to make the move to Centre, but at FB he throws his size around well beating just over 2.5 defenders per 80 minutes.
Elliot Daly
I’m sure he hates being Mr Versatile, but he is one of the most versatile backs in the prem and that means he adds a huge amount of value. He can play the role of a second distributor where it’s needed, has a turn of pace and is capable in the air. To a layman I would describe him somewhere in between Furbank and Steward. He would be my 2nd FB which and his ability to play, Wing, Centre and FB opens up a 6-2 if it is required.
So that’s our squad of 36. How close do you think we got?
Did we get it right?
Spot on
Pretty close, but a few changes
You're all mental!
Close but no Cigar
Honourable mentions go to the following who we considered and were so close to making the final cut.
Beno Obano
The Bath loosehead has been denied chances a few times to don the Rose. The largest of the loosehead options at 1.73m but a hefty 120kg he is a formidable scrummager with a rating of 82.5 in that area. He also gives away the fewest penalties of any of the loosehead options we looked at, which is hugely important at test level. He also does well carrying in contact, being the only prop to have more metres after contact than metres in the open and England are short of hard carriers. He was in the squad but Bevan Rodd just edged it with his performance against the Stormers
Joe Heyes
He has just about taken the starting shirt from Dan Cole at Leicester after a long wait behind England’s most capped forward and is perhaps unlucky not to be included. In the interest of consistency we opted to stick with Davison from the Autumn Nations but it would be fairly easy to make a case for Heyes.
Gabriel Oghre
Another one where I was genuinely conflicted. A hugely impressive player and as a Fantasy Rugby game…. he racks up the points in a big way! He makes the most line breaks per 80 of the hooker options as well as the second most defenders beaten. The thing that swung it for me is how much England’s scrum seems to be affected when it loses the weight from George. I definitely wouldn’t be upset if he took the third spot though.
Theo Dan
As with Gabriel Oghre, he has some really impressive stats and normally I would have had him in. But the double of being out of the Saracens squad for a little bit and the need for heft in the scrum saw him just miss out for me.
Joe Batley
In all honesty, he would have been in had he had more game time. He has had an injury for some time and needs to get a bit more game time. Watch this space…we’ll put in another blog for the Autumn Nations. One of the main reasons would be his work at the lineout, he has the most steals (0.67) on any Lock we considered and the 2nd most turnovers (0.5)
Tom Pearson
I am a long-time fan of Pearson. A really abrasive player who carries and tackles with venom. The back row is just supremely competitive in this England team but he’s not far behind by my reckoning
Greg Fisilau
Another one that I would love to see in the England squad. Powerful carrier who has performed well despite being in a struggling Exeter team. He’s up near the top for tackle stats and turnovers again, just so competitive and at the moment there’s no topping Willis and to remove Ben Earl would probably be a fairly poor choice.
Henry Pollock
Maybe he should be in the squad, I have only omitted him due to a lack of experience, but the kid can play! He is seriously talented, topping the Carry Metres with a whopping 59.1 per 80 minutes and 4 defenders beaten per 80 as well. He’s no slouch defensively either with 1.34 turnovers per game and the highest number of tackles per 80 available (the only one to beat him is Sam Underhill). He should definitely go and at least gain exposure to the senior squad.
Raffi Quirke
A lack of game time has meant I just couldn’t justify putting him in for the 6N despite what I think is one of the highest potential 9s available. He can attack and defend well, has a turn of pace and has a good kicking game. It won’t be long until he cements his spot in the England squad I suspect.
Fraser Dingwall
He captained England A and has won a few caps recently. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is selected as a defensive leader and a smart ball player. Just a shame if I had 5 spaces for centres I think he would be in.
Ollie Hassell-Collins
Another big winger and one who had a chance at the England shirt. Unfortunately he has subsequently sent back to club without further honours but recently he seems to have found himself in a rich vein of form. He has been playing really well at Tigers this season and he could muscle his way into the squad if many more injuries find there way into that squad.
Matchday 23
Just to go one further as well, we have put together what would be out matchday 23.
Thanks again for reading, that was a long one. To find out more about all the stats for any of the players in the Prem head over to dreamxvrugby.com and get access to all the stats and play some Fantasy rugby when the Premiership gets back.
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