What Steve Borthwick Would Have Liked About the Premiership Season – and Cause for Concern

By Elliefrost @adikt_blog

A compact league made up of ten clubs concentrated talent and provided a wild ride, with Premiership teams also finding success in the Champions and Challenge Cups. Steve Borthwick will have been keeping a close eye on the proceedings and the trip from England to Japan and New Zealand is just around the corner. So what will he have taken away from the Premiership campaign as a whole?

The big wins

1. He can continue to attack Northampton's backline

Alex Mitchell, Tommy Freeman and George Furbank started together in the England back-line against Ireland and France to complete this year's Six Nations. Although Furbank was forced out early in Lyon, the scintillating synergy of the Saints collective proved a catalyst of ambition and flexibility for England.

Fraser Dingwall was binned after tougher wins over Italy and Wales, but the resourceful center could be given another chance at some point. And this Premiership season has suggested that Fin Smith, Ollie Sleightholme and George Hendy will be ready for Test action soon enough.

The pressure of the play-offs will test their decision-making, as will a difficult Champions Cup semi-final against Leinster. Overall, however, Borthwick will know he has individuals capable of implementing a more nuanced game.

2. But Immanuel Feyi-Waboso needs to be fed

Feyi-Waboso is a winger who chases the ball, picks up a lot of touches and is powerful enough to push away bigger tacklers. It's a rare talent that England could improve for years to come. The way he rounded Bundee Aki in the build-up to Marcus Smith's drop goal against Ireland epitomized the 21-year-old's conviction and dynamism.

Defensive mistakes will crop up. There was a failed blitz on Saturday in the build-up to Ollie Hassell-Collins' try for Leicester Tigers. But Borthwick's efforts to pursue the trainee doctor and establish a career in England have already been justified. Now it's up to Feyi-Waboso to string together Test appearances in a team that aims to put the ball in his hands.

3. Options pile up on number 8...

Injuries are an occupational hazard of sport. Test coaches rarely have a full deck and the turnover of the back-five positions can be particularly compromising. That said, England can rebalance their pack depending on what is needed. Heavier haulers who can spoil bad luck, such as Alfie Barbeary and Tom Willis, have had good seasons. They, together with Zach Mercer, offer an alternative to Ben Earl.

4. ...and by whore

Borthwick's reliance on Jamie George during the World Cup was unsustainable and showed a serious need for more depth at hooker. This season will have been encouraging in that respect, with Curtis Langdon a standout star for Saints, Gabriel Oghre one of Bristol's standouts and Luke Cowan-Dickie, that warhorse, reviving in his first season at Sale. Add to that the development of Theo Dan and decent returns for Jamie Blamire and Sam Riley, the duo England A used against Portugal, and Borthwick have reserves behind captain George.

5 Scrum-half scenario encouraging

Danny Care has trotted off into the sunset, paving the way for Mitchell, Ben Spencer, Jack van Poortvliet, Harry Randall and contrasting Sale duo Gus Warr and Raffi Quirke.

6. Fin Baxter is an apprentice

Harlequins wilted against Exeter and Bristol to end their Premiership season with a whimper. At loosehead prop, however, they have a gem in Finn Baxter, who has developed into a solid scrummager. His performances against Bordeaux and Toulouse in the Champions Cup were tremendous. Around the field he can make deft passes, as you would expect from a Harlequin, and he hits hard in the tackle. Beno Obano, Bevan Rodd, Emmanuel Iyogun and Tarek Haffar were four more looseheads who caught the eye. Given Ellis Genge's calf injury, Borthwick needs unforeseen circumstances.

7. Rough diamonds and wildcards

The progress of Chandler Cunningham-South, included in the Six Nations squad as something of a project for Borthwick and his coaches, suggests that this England staff will look to mold raw talent into Test quality - or at least turn it into the right to lead in direction. On the other end of the spectrum, Sam Underhill has become more of a jackal threat, showing that relative veterans can expand their repertoire.

With that in mind, Borthwick should feel encouraged to develop individuals with notable 'superpowers' such as Gabriel Ibitoye, a free-running offloader who has beaten more defenders than anyone in the Premier League, and Jackal King Will Evans.

8. Older stagers stick around

Players leaving this country and ending their careers in England - or at least putting them on hold - are being normalised. Underhill and Henry Slade were among those who re-signed for their clubs, clearly eager for more under Borthwick. George Ford, along with Dan Cole and Joe Marler, have reinforced the value of experience to the England squad in recent months.

The worries

1. Two headache positions remain

There are many who feel that we are too dependent on the figures used by the centres. England's midfield finally settled down during the Six Nations, with Slade attacking as a 12 and defending as a 13, while Ollie Lawrence fulfilled the opposite roles. Borthwick hopes these players can pick up where they left off and leverage the cohesion they've been working on. Dingwall is another versatile operator. But when it comes to internal centres, England is still thin on the ground, especially with Manu Tuilagi's safety net in Bayonne finally gone.

Max Ojomoh is the big prospect here and is a true triple threat for a center. The 23-year-old is a passing playmaker, a dangerous carry and a good kicker. The problem, as Borthwick expressed in January, is that Cameron Redpath is favored for Bath's big games. Elsewhere in midfield, Luke Northmore, powerful and skilful but probably more of a 13, could be worth a try. Poor Ollie Hartley is facing a long suspension due to a knee injury.

England's second problem position is the tighthead prop. Behind Will Stuart and Dan Cole is Joe Heyes, who at the age of 25 has now made 141 first-team appearances for Leicester Tigers. However, with Will Collier and Kyle Sinckler heading abroad and Asher Opoku-Fordjour apparently seen as a loosehead, Josh Iosefa-Scott was quickly ushered into the England first-team setup. Telegraph Sports understands James Harper, who started Sale's last five league games on Saturday and tormented Saracens, will be eligible for the summer schedule. Sinckler has incidentally left the door open for a return to England for the 2027 World Cup after a few years facing "the best and the biggest" scrummagers with Toulon.

2. Bubble locks are rare

Related to the tight issue is the fact that England do not have a significant stock of heavyweight locks weighing more than 120kg with which to cement their dominance in scrumming, mauling and winning. George Martin is the main man at the moment. Otherwise, most of the other locks - Ollie Chessum, Maro Itoje, Alex Coles, Charlie Ewels, Nick Isiekwe - are all smooth. France have a phalanx of meatier specimens: Emmanuel Meafou, Romain Taofifénua, Posolo Tuilagi and Paul Willemse as senior fallbacks.

Exeter's Rusi Tuima, impressive for England A against Portugal, has the kind of profile that Borthwick lacks. Ben Bamber is another potential powerhouse. Will a Premier League club be able to sign Junior Kpoku, one of England U20's Six Nations winners who currently plays for Racing 92?

3. Future eligibility questions

This is less of a concern than an intriguing question for Borthwick. How proactive will he be in securing the services of players like Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Jacques Vermeulen and Tyrone Green? They are all eligible to represent England in the future and are excellent players. Rassie Erasmus must have been watching. Borthwick has stuck out his elbows to win the battle to join Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Fin Smith and others. Pay attention to those spaces.