Borthwick’s Six Nations spring clean makes a fresher-looking mix but raises questions over logic | Robert Kitson
Will it be the players’ fault if a slightly cobbled together England goes down in Roman flames after a selection that suggests the head coach’s patience snapped?The temperatures are rising, the daffodils are out and, within the England camp, the time has come for a major spring clean.Steve Borthwick has certainly snapped on his marigolds with rare vigour in his bid to banish his side’s February blues, with most areas of his team sheet either hosed down or completely flushed away after the less‑than‑fragrant performance against Ireland.A grand total of 12 changes, three of them positional, is almost approaching Thames Water-levels of murky discharge.Not since the infamous tombola days of the 1960s and 70s, when England’s selectors sometimes called up any old Tom, Dick or Harrovian, has a red rose head coach deviated more strikingly from the strong and stable gospel of devil‑you‑know cohesion.The resultant mix is unquestionably fresher-looking if, in places, slightly eclectic.
If the aim is more first-quarter certainty, it is an interesting gambit to select a half-back pairing, a midfield duo and a back three which, as combined units, have never played a Test together.Where’s the instinctive logic, for example, in reinstating a pair of Northampton players at 10 and 13 and then removing the 12 jersey from their club colleague Fraser Dingwall?And so on.If Ben Spencer is suddenly the man at scrum-half with Alex Mitchell injured it offers the possibility of a more kick-based gameplan.If that event why drop your best kicking fly‑half in George Ford? And if you are picking both Fin Smith and Tommy Freeman, does it not strengthen the case for their fellow Saint George Furbank at full‑back rather than Elliot Daly?The resulting patchwork quilt of a selection is far removed from the backline that, until recently, was supposedly first among equals.Which backs up the sense that Borthwick’s patience has snapped.
Remember those furious old‑school coaches who, after a disappointing defeat, would scream: “I’m going to drop the lot of yers!” In this case, with just three players wearing the same shirt they wore against Ireland, that is inevitably how most fans will perceive it,The sweeping cull even outstrips the previous England Six Nations record of eight starting personnel changes, that dates back to 2007 when Brian Ashton reacted instantly to the thumping Croke Park defeat against Ireland,Injuries also played a part but Jonny Wilkinson, Andy Farrell, Phil Vickery, Danny Grewcock, Louis Deacon, Magnus Lund, Perry Freshwater and Olly Morgan all disappeared from the starting lineup,Out went a radically reshuffled combination and – boom! – France were beaten in some style at Twickenham,It is far from impossible that England could do likewise against an Italy team yet to beat them in 32 attempts dating back 35 years.
The Azzurri do not go into many Six Nations games as favourites so there is an element of uncharted territory,But, ultimately, it will not matter which names England put on their team sheet if, collectively, they cannot display more energy, aggression and intent than they managed against Scotland and Ireland,Thomas Tuchel, the England men’s football supremo, certainly picked an interesting day to pay a visit and take in a training session in the Bagshot sunshine,He would at least have recognised the familiar elephant in the coaching room: England, within reason, are expected to win most matches they play,And if they underperform for three games in a row, hundreds of thousands of armchair experts will be demanding to know why.
Because this team are not being wheeled out to play fantasy rugby.Back in the real world wholesale mid-tournament U-turns simply have to pay off instantly.If not people will start querying the judgment of the trigger-happy guy at the wheel.Before the Ireland game Borthwick said he wanted to be known as a coach who backs his players.Should that last verb, strictly speaking, now start with an “s” instead? And will it be wholly the players’ fault if a slightly cobbled-together side goes down in Roman flames?An awful lot is hinging, therefore, on how quickly this different combination can gel.
Borthwick’s rationale is that he has, in effect, picked the same backline that has trained together en masse against the “first team” for weeks,The “shags” are now being released into the wild, fuelled by a mixture of pent-up frustration from their previous non‑selections and the increased likelihood of a World Cup squad place if they do well,Opportunity knocks, either way, for Seb Atkinson – proud product of Luctonians RFC, Worcester Warriors and Gloucester – who impressed in Argentina last summer only to pick up an untimely autumn injury,While the continuing squad omission of Max Ojomoh still feels curious, Atkinson potentially offers more ball-carrying heft and defensive appetite, both of which England have latterly lacked,Daly’s left boot and cricketer’s hands could help to defuse Italy’s penchant for kicking right towards Louis Lynagh’s wing.
But, as Tuchel and every other longsuffering former England head coach is aware, none of that matters if you lose.
Quarter of healthy years lost to breast cancer are due to lifestyle factors, research finds
More than a quarter of healthy years lost to breast cancer are due to lifestyle factors such as red meat intake and smoking, according to the largest study of its kind.The study, published in the Lancet Oncology, used data from population-based cancer registries to produce a comprehensive analysis of breast cancer and its risk factors.The data used, spanning from 1990 to 2023 from more than 200 countries, was also used to produce forecasts of trends regarding breast cancer up to 2050. In the UK, about one in seven women will develop the disease in their lifetime.New breast cancer cases in women are predicted to rise by a third globally, from 2
Scotland becomes first UK country to legalise water cremations
Scotland has become the first part of the UK to legalise hydrolysis, an environmentally friendly alternative to cremation or burial, reflecting increasing demand for more sustainable funeral arrangements.Also known as water cremation or aquamation, the process is already available in many parts of the world, and regulations approved by the Scottish parliament on Monday mark the most significant change to funeral law since cremation was introduced in 1902.Replicating the natural process of decomposition that occurs after burial, but over a much shorter period of time, hydrolysis uses a strong alkaline solution to break down the body of the deceased person.The body is immersed in water and 5% alkaline, such as potassium hydroxide, for three to four hours in a pressurised metal cylinder and heated to about 150C (300F).This dissolves the body tissue, leaving only bones, which are then dried and pulverised into white dust
UK surgeon cleared of antisemitism criticises GMC’s plan to challenge ruling
A surgeon who was cleared by a tribunal of alleged antisemitism and support for terrorism has accused his regulator of seeking a “politically acceptable” outcome after it announced it would appeal against the decision to the high court.Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah, who gave testimony to the international criminal court on Israel’s assault on Gaza and is the rector of the University of Glasgow, was cleared of misconduct by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) in January.But the decision to appeal by the General Medical Council (GMC), which brought the case after a complaint by the lobby group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), means he is trying to crowdfund £150,000 to defend himself again.“When the MPTS rejected the allegations, I felt that a two-year period of continuous harassment and attempts to undermine my credibility, including my evidence before the ICC [international criminal court] and ICJ [international court of justice], had finally come to an end.” said Abu-Sittah
Labour council accuses minister of ‘moral bankruptcy’ over social care dispute
The housing, communities and local government secretary has been accused by a Labour council of showing “arrogance, indifference and moral bankruptcy” towards children in social care.In an unusually forthright attack, Labour leaders of Hartlepool council said they were “furious and appalled” at Steve Reed after a meeting with him last week. A cross-party delegation had asked the secretary of state for £3m to help alleviate the growing cost of social care.The town in County Durham is one of the most deprived in England. It has the third highest number of children in care per capita in the country
Most senior council officers in England say building work hit by delays
Almost two-thirds of senior council officers have said they are seeing construction projects delayed, despite the key role of local authorities in creating the wave of new housing and infrastructure promised by Labour.Before Rachel Reeves’s spring forecast on Tuesday, a survey of senior council officers showed that 40% do not think the local authority they work for is well placed to follow through on its construction plans.Local authority finances have been under sustained pressure for more than a decade. Labour recently announced a shake-up of the funding formula for England’s local councils, to redirect resources from affluent parts of the country towards more deprived areas.Among those surveyed, 64% reported project delays, with as many as 94% calling for more certainty about future financing – such as multi-year funding settlements
Three in four women unaware menopause can trigger new mental illness, poll finds
Nearly three-quarters of UK women do not know menopause can trigger a new mental illness, polling shows.This lack of understanding is so acute that the Royal College of Psychiatrists has launched its first targeted “position statement” to raise awareness about menopause and mental health.A YouGov poll, commissioned by the college, which represents more than 20,000 psychiatrists, found that only 28% of women know a new mental illness can be associated with menopause. In contrast, 93% of women associate menopause with hot flushes and 76% with reduced sex drive.As a result, many women are not seeking or receiving vital help, the RCPsych’s report says
War in Middle East threatens UK living standards growth, as markets brace for energy shock – business live
Global stock markets tumble as Trump bid to avert oil crisis in strait of Hormuz fails to reassure
What was really behind Jack Dorsey laying off nearly half of Block’s staff?
OpenAI amends Pentagon deal as Sam Altman admits it looks ‘sloppy’
Borthwick’s Six Nations spring clean makes a fresher-looking mix but raises questions over logic | Robert Kitson
Winter Paralympics 2026: who are Australia’s top medal contenders? | Kieran Pender