Former England international Nick Easter has put pressure on Steve Borthwick and England to succeed in the 2024 Six Nations.
Borthwick led the Red Rose to a third-place finish at the 2023 Rugby World Cup after taking over from Eddie Jones.
Now in his second year in charge, it is the start of a new World Cup cycle, which comes with the chance to freshen up the playing squad and blood new players for the next four years.
The boss has done precisely that, calling up seven uncapped players to his squad, while
, who played 54 Test matches for England, is pleased by the
squad selection and has set lofty standards for Borthwick’s side during this year’s campaign.
“Overall, it’s a pretty positive squad. I mean, what he’s done first and foremost, which we didn’t have with the old regime under Eddie Jones, of course, is he has picked on form,” Easter told
“There’s seven Northampton Saints players, five Bath players and six Quins players, teams that are up there in the mix, which is good rewarding of form. Of course, this is a time after the World Cup where you know it is a slight transitional period if you know some certain sides have a bit more of a clearout than others, and England is sort of halfway there, it seems.
”
While there is a clear injection of youth into the side, Easter was still happy to see some of the more experienced players returning and was happy with the new captain.
“There’s still a few of the old guard in there in Dan Cole and captain Jamie George, which I’m very pleased about. Making him captain was pretty obvious, but you’ve still got to make the decision,” he said.
“He is a quality player and deserves his place first and foremost; he is obviously the best hooker we have got, but he is a very personable lad in front of the camera. Obviously a quality player, and he deserves his place first and foremost.
“As a personality, as a character, as a guy who wants to try and bring England rugby together and get that rekindled connection with the fans, which has been a struggle for the last three years, I think a very, very good appointment, so that’s positive.”
George’s appointment comes after Owen Farrell made himself unavailable to England as he took a break from the international game. But will his absence have a big impact on the squad?
“There’s enough experience there; it will be very different, and I know Owen Farrell has adapted his leadership style as all good leaders do,” Easter added.
“He’s always demanding high standards, he’s a world-class player, and he has been up there for a long time and puts himself above the parapet in terms of the pressure moments.
“But he sort of relaxed, if you like, amongst the group as opposed to being as stern as he was before and has helped create a sort of a happier environment in terms of empowering other players to speak up and voice their opinion on things, and I think Jamie George is very, very good mates for them at club level and he will continue that type of leadership.”
England’s Six Nations campaign kicks off with a trip to the Stadio Olimpico to face Italy with a home clash against Wales following, before heading to Murrayfield in round three. They then return to Twickenham to host Ireland and conclude their tournament away to France.
Easter believes that the schedule has been kind to England, which should help them finish high up the final standings.
“There is always pressure when you play for England, but you have to expect to be in the top two in the Six Nations every year,” Easter said.
“That’s the bare minimum considering the facilities, the strength in depth, the playing numbers, the finances spent and the squad, you’ve got to be looking at top two.
“However, we know how competitive Test rugby is now we know the top two sides in the world, or two of the top three or four, are Ireland and France.
“They play Ireland and France towards the end, which is a really good fixture list for England having Italy, then Wales, then Scotland.
You are basically going from the weakest side all the way through to the strongest side; it’s virtually like that.
“That’s great when you’re starting off with a side like this, and I would like to see England evolve their game. It was a big kick-fest at the World Cup. It was there, obviously, as a tactic and a strategy to do a job in certain games but we need to move on with other parts of our game.
“For these youngsters to get the confidence amongst the senior players, you need to get a couple of early wins under your belt, and a tournament like the Six Nations is all about momentum in a short period of time.
The fixtures have fallen favourably for England, but the team I’m looking at in the Six Nations is Scotland.
“I think the French public will be demanding the Grand Slam after the disappointment of the World Cup and they don’t have Antoine Dupont, Ireland are without Sexton, how are they going to fare? They’ve got England and France away so that’s a tough fixture list.
“Scotland have got France and England at home, and they aren’t losing a number of players. Whereas England are without Farrell and Courtney Lawes, key leaders, quality players who have retired. Scotland is probably the most established side; watch out.
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Planet Rugby have once again teamed up with the Two Cents Rugby YouTube channel and our friends at , the official investing and trading partner of Premiership Rugby, to bring you exclusive video reactions to the Six Nations squad announcements.
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