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A fresh journey begins for England’s rugby team as they reintegrate their Lions players and start crafting a squad capable of clinching the 2027 World Cup title.
On Sunday, head coach Steve Borthwick is set to unveil a 36-man squad in preparation for the upcoming autumn series, where they will face off against Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and Argentina at Twickenham next month.
These four matches hold significant importance for England, currently ranked fifth globally. Securing a spot in the top six is crucial to obtaining a top seed for the expanded 24-team tournament in Australia. The draw for the World Cup will follow soon after the autumn series concludes.
This series also marks the debut of new attack coach Lee Blackett with the full squad. At 42, Blackett brings a stellar reputation from his time with Wasps and the reigning champions, Bath.
Owen Farrell will be absent from this campaign, even though he has returned to Saracens, which opens up opportunities for fresh talent to make a mark.
In this analysis, Daily Mail Sport highlights the leading candidates for positions 1 to 15, as well as other top contenders and under-the-radar players vying for a spot on Borthwick’s team.
Steve Borthwick will name his 36-man squad for the autumn on Sunday
It will be the first proper chance for new attack coach Lee Blackett to get stuck into this England squad
1. LOOSEHEAD PROP
Front-runner: Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)
Fin Baxter delivered a statement performance in Harlequins’ victory over Saracens as his scrummaging dominance delivered penalties.
The baby-faced assassin, 23, goes into the autumn campaign with more minutes under his belt than Genge, who suffered a head injury on his first match back from Lions duty, meaning he will not play for Bristol this weekend.
However, if Genge is fit, which he is expected to be, then it will be difficult to leave out his aggressive carrying. On average, returning Lion Genge beats one defender every 41 minutes for England, compared to one every 153 minutes for Baxter.
Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Sale’s 21-year-old rising star who has four caps to his name, will also be in the mix.
Rampaging British & Irish Lion has a stranglehold on the No 1 jersey due to his explosive carrying ability
2. HOOKER
Front-runner: Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks)
It looks like Cowan-Dickie is in prime position to nail down the No 2 jersey through to the World Cup.
The 32-year-old has leaned up for a more dynamic game by cutting down his calories and his set-piece work is now underpinned by years of experience. His next cap will be his 50th for his country, to go with two Lions tours of duty.
Time is against 102-cap Jamie George, who will turn 37 in 2027, although he remains a valued member of the squad, co-captaining the team on the summer tour.
George’s Saracens team-mate Theo Dan missed out on an EPS contract this season, with Leicester’s Jamie Blamire and exciting 22-year-old Nathan Jibulu – Cowan-Dickie’s back-up at Sale – competing for the third slot.
Luke Cowan-Dickie (left) has supplanted Jamie George as England’s first-choice hooker
3. TIGHTHEAD PROP
Front-runner: Will Stuart (Bath)
Returning to Pennyhill Park as a fully-fledged Lion, Stuart will be the cornerstone of England’s scrum.
He is the heaviest member of the squad at around 20st 6lb, and evolved his carrying skills during an impressive Six Nations campaign.
It is a position where England need to build depth so do not be surprised to see Joe Heyes of Leicester given game time in the Test against Fiji.
Keep an eye out, too, for young Afolabi Fasogbon at Gloucester. He is yet to win a senior cap, but that won’t last for long.
Will Stuart is now undoubtedly one of the world’s finest tightheads and played in all three Lions Tests this summer
4 & 5. LOCKS
Front-runners: Maro Itoje (Saracens, captain) and Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers)
The pivotal decision here is whether Borthwick decides to play Ollie Chessum at lock or blindside flanker.
If Chessum is given the No 6 jersey, then Alex Coles is the in-form second-row who could partner England and Lions skipper Itoje.
George Martin remains injured. However, Chessum has not started a Test in the No 6 jersey since the 2024 Six Nations, with his appearances in the back row becoming rarer for both club and country.
Maro Itoje (left) and Ollie Chessum (right) are a pair of club captains primed to lead the England pack this autumn
6. BLINDSIDE FLANKER
Front-runner: Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
If anyone can slot straight back into Test rugby after three months on the sidelines, it’s Curry.
The flanker played with a serious ligament issue in his wrist on the Lions tour but his recovery time should allow him to return for the opening match against the Wallabies. He is the ultimate Test match performer, where his work around the collision zone is relentless.
Young Henry Pollock remains very much in the mix, although his more recent role has been to bring an injection of energy from the bench.
Curry’s twin brother, Ben, is not expected to be fit for the start of the campaign.
Tom Curry is the ultimate Test match animal, rising to the moment even as he battled a serious wrist injury on the Lions tour
7. OPENSIDE FLANKER
Front-runner: Guy Pepper (Bath)
One of the breakthrough players in the PREM in recent months.
Pepper holds the record for the most tackles (34) made in one match and has developed into one of the league’s most abrasive operators.
At 6ft 3in, he also adds a sold third lineout option to the set-piece. He was one of a number of new players to impress Borthwick in Argentina and the USA this summer, winning his first three caps as England completer a tour clean sweep in the Americas.
Guy Pepper (centre) rises highest at a lineout for Bath, who he has been in sublime form for this season
8. NUMBER EIGHT
Front-runner: Ben Earl (Saracens)
England have been waiting to unearth a new wrecking ball No 8 since the days of Billy Vunipola.
Tom Willis is the leading candidate for Saracens, although his style of carrying is yet to deliver the same results on the international stage in his eight caps.
Chandler Cunningham-South looked explosive in the London derby for Harlequins but has not yet shown the consistency of a Test player.
That leaves Ben Earl – England’s Mr Versatile – as the front-runner to start at No8.
Ben Earl is England’s Mr Versatile and continues to get the nod at No 8 for Borthwick
9. SCRUM-HALF
Front-runner: Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)
As the only scrum-half on a central contract, there is little doubt about Mitchell’s place in the starting XV. The question lies around his support act.
Ben Spencer, Jack van Poortvliet and Harry Randall shared the workload on the summer tour.
But Randall is injured and Spencer does not offer the same speed, so Van Poortvliet is most likely to feature on the bench.
Alex Mitchell is one of the most nailed-on England starters at the moment, as the only scrum-half to be handed a central contract
10. FLY-HALF
Front-runner: George Ford (Sale Sharks)
Given Owen Farrell is fourth-choice No 10, it is safe to say England are blessed with playmaking options.
Ford has been in the league’s in-form fly-half, stealing the show whilst Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were on standdown after their bit-part roles on the Lions tour. Both of the Smiths struggled for Test action on the Lions tour, while Ford, according to his Sale coach Alex Sanderson, ‘is in the best form of his life’.
Fin Smith excelled in the white jersey during the Six Nations but his form has fluctuated since. Marcus Smith offers a broader range of individual skills but Borthwick veers towards consistency in selection.
Ford’s kicking game both from hand and off the tee is exemplary which is key in tight Test matches.
George Ford is in the form of his life and has a grip on the No 10 shirt despite fierce competition
11. LEFT WING
Front-runner: Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)
After his Lions tour chances were wrecked by injury, Feyi-Waboso has been on blistering form since his return for Exeter.
He is the PREM’s top try scorer, with five in three games. His X-factor runs will be one of England’s biggest attacking threats, likely to earn his selection ahead of fellow speedsters Henry Arundell and Adam Radwan.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (left) has set the PREM alight in the first three rounds, scoring five tries
12. INSIDE CENTRE
Front-runner: Max Ojomoh (Bath)
A series-ending injury to Seb Atkinson has left the No 12 position wide open. Atkinson made a glowing impression during the summer, dovetailing with Ford, but has been ruled out until December.
Fraser Dingwall is a trusty distributor and has the advantage of playing alongside Fin Smith at Northampton.
However, Max Ojomoh has benefited from covering for Finn Russell at No 10 for Bath this season and his range of passing has looked worthy of Test selection in his preferred No 12 jersey.
He has experience of working with Lee Blackett at Bath and also plays alongside Ollie Lawrence at club level.
Bath flyer Max Ojomoh (right) won his first Test cap in the US in July
13. OUTSIDE CENTRE
Front-runner: Ollie Lawrence (Bath)
Lawrence was playing his way into Lions contention before his Six Nations camp was cut cruelly short by a ruptured achilles.
He is still playing his way back to top form but England do not have any other midfielders who are as effective with their carrying.
Henry Slade is a candidate for the No 13 but has been out of sorts, while must-win Tests against Australia are not the time to experiment with the project to switch Tommy Freeman to the centres.
Ollie Lawrence is England’s best ball-carrying centre and almost certainly would have been a Lion if not for the agonising achilles injury that cut short his Six Nations
14. RIGHT WING
Front-runner: Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)
Freeman is England’s ultimate Test winger.
He is one of the best in the world at chasing kicks, with the speed and size to rise above opposition wingers.
Tom Roebuck has also been in hot scoring form for Sale and could benefit if his club-mate Ford is given the No 10 duties.
Tommy Freeman is England’s ultimate Test winger right now and scored in all five Six Nations matches this year
Freddie ‘Air’ Steward is utterly dominant in the air and adds a security that his former Leicester head coach Borthwick craves
15. FULL-BACK
Front-runner: Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)
There are two key injuries to England’s full-back stocks. George Furbank is unlikely to be match-fit to face the Wallabies while Elliot Daly’s return from a broken arm has also been delayed.
Their absence leaves Freddie Steward and Marcus Smith as the leading options to wear the shirt. The pair offer two very different styles of play. It will come down to the balance of the backline.
If Borthwick is happy with his second ball-playing options in the midfield, then he will opt for Steward’s aerial dominance.
Otherwise, Marcus Smith will be primed to take up the role – a move which may well appeal to new attack coach Blackett.
