Player-led change gets thumbs up but jury out on selection: Andy Goode

Steve Borthwick is talking a good game but some of his selections are leaving everyone scratching their heads yet again.

England played with much more attacking intent against Italy, evidenced by the fact they beat more defenders than they have in any other Six Nations game for half a dozen years, and the head coach says he wants more of the same in Cardiff.

He believes they can still win the tournament by “playing fast and getting the ball to our players with strength, pace and athleticism” but two players who fit that description and have been in good form in Ollie Sleightholme and Tom Willis have been dropped.

The balance is always tricky when you go into a game needing a bonus point, putting to one side the favour they need from Scotland, but I think it’s right to go out there chasing tries right from the off as it’s the only way they can realistically win the competition.

I’ve no doubt Ireland are going to beat Italy with a bonus point and by a decent margin, so England will have to get a bonus point of their own before grabbing their tartan scarves and hoping for an unlikely French slip up.

Northampton Saints and England winger Ollie Sleightholme (Credit: PA).

Having been on the bench for the defeat in Dublin, Willis has played a big role in the last three wins on the bounce in terms of getting his team on the front foot and Sleightholme has scored six tries in his last six Tests.

I do understand the thinking behind Borthwick going for Tom Roebuck, who has had to wait very patiently for his first start, and picking the back row he has but I’m not sure what it says to the two players he’s left out and I think he’s guilty of looking at the opposition too much.

Wales have lost their last 16 Tests, this is statistically the worst Welsh side ever, so I think England should be backing their best starting XV according to the identity they’re looking to build rather than tailoring selection to whoever is wearing red.

I am excited by seeing Tommy Freeman wear the England number 13 jersey for the first time, albeit only because of injuries to others, as he has real game-breaking ability and hasn’t got his hands on the ball as much as anyone would have liked from the wing.

It’s a backline that can obviously cause a lot of damage but it’s telling that Alex Mitchell is the only player in it who started in the same position against Ireland in Round 1 as Borthwick continues to struggle to find the combinations he likes best behind the scrum.

Tommy Freeman looks on during England's win over Italy (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Whatever state Wales are in, it’ll be harder to beat 36 defenders in the cauldron of Cardiff than it was against the Italians at home but it was a start and I heard that the change in approach was player-led to a large extent.

If that is the case, then hopefully coach and players are all brave enough to stick with it and both come up with a strategy that allows the freedom to express themselves and then play heads up rugby when the opportunity arises rather than going back into their shells.

Wales’ biggest weakness over the last couple of games, despite the improvement they’ve shown, has been in the wide channels so Borthwick is right to be talking about getting quick ball and playing with width but the proof will be in the pudding.

I hope we don’t see an early injury in the backs or the second row either as I just don’t get the balance of the bench at all with no locks and George Ford on there even though two fly-halves are starting the game.

Ford will be one away from a century of caps after Saturday, but any one of Oscar Beard, Max Ojomoh, Alex Lozowski or even Sleightholme would’ve offered England far greater flexibility and however good a player Ben Earl is, I don’t fancy him playing inside centre for too long.

It’s great to see Henry Pollock making his international debut at the age of just 20 and he looks like a star of the future, who is certain to get game time in Argentina this summer in the same way the Curry brothers did in 2017.

Ted Hill (Photo by Patrick Khachfe/Getty Images)

However, you have to spare a thought for Ted Hill, who has been consistently excellent for the Premiership leaders Bath and can cover both second and back row as a replacement yet has been discarded again after getting a grand total of 11 minutes over two spells last week.

It’s absolutely Borthwick’s prerogative to pick who he wants for each specific match and he does seem to be a fan of horses for courses selections, but I think it’s fair to question his management of players in the same way Eddie Jones was questioned for his.

Nothing would give the Welsh players, coaches and fans greater pleasure than snapping their longest ever losing streak against their biggest rival on home turf and the last thing England want is to get into an arm wrestle with a desperate opponent.

You can debate certain selections, but Borthwick is saying all the right things. Now it’s time to practice what he’s preaching and if they do, I fully expect England to win by eight points.