Steve Borthwick names team for England’s 2026 Six Nations opener
Head coach Steve Borthwick has gone early with his team announcement for the England Six Nations 2026 squad’s opening fixture, confirming his 23 players to face Wales five days ahead of kick-off.
Hooker Jamie George will skipper the side, with regular England captain Maro Itoje among the substitutes after travelling to Nigeria for his mother’s funeral last week.
George is joined in the front row by Ellis Genge (one of two named vice-captains in the 23) and Joe Heyes, while Alex Coles and Ollie Chessum pack down in the second row. Bath duo Guy Pepper and Sam Underhill start at flanker, with Ben Earl at number 8.
George Ford (another vice-captain) gets the nod at fly-half, alongside Alex Mitchell in the number 9 shirt.
There’s a Northampton Saints centre partnership of Fraser Dingwall and Tommy Freeman, with Henry Arundell and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso starting on the wings. Freddie Steward is picked at full-back.
Borthwick has selected a 6-2 bench, where Itoje is joined by Luke Cowan-Dickie, Bevan Rodd, Trevor Davison, Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Ben Spencer and Marcus Smith.
“England versus Wales is always a special occasion in the rugby calendar,” said Borthwick. “It’s a fierce rivalry with a long history, and one that brings a huge challenge every time we meet.
“We expect Wales to bring a kicking game, so we’ll need to be accurate in how we respond to that challenge. For us, our focus is on executing our game plan and maintaining discipline throughout the match.”
England v Wales kicks off at 4.40pm GMT on Saturday 7 February, with live coverage on ITV1 and ITVX in the UK.
England Six Nations team v Wales
15. Freddie Steward
14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
13. Tommy Freeman
12. Fraser Dingwall
11. Henry Arundell
10. George Ford (vice-captain)
9. Alex Mitchell
1. Ellis Genge (vice-captain)
2. Jamie George (captain)
3. Joe Heyes
4. Alex Coles
5. Ollie Chessum
6. Guy Pepper
7. Sam Underhill
8. Ben Earl
Replacements:
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie
17. Bevan Rodd
18. Trevor Davison
19. Maro Itoje
20. Tom Curry
21. Henry Pollock
22. Ben Spencer
23. Marcus Smith
England Six Nations squad 2026: the 36 players selected by Steve Borthwick
Forwards (20): Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers), Arthur Clark (Gloucester Rugby), Alex Coles (Northampton Saints), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks), Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), Theo Dan (Saracens), Trevor Davison (Northampton Saints), Ben Earl (Saracens), Greg Fisilau (Exeter Chiefs), Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears), Jamie George (Saracens), Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers), Maro Itoje (Saracens, captain), Emmanuel Iyogun (Northampton Saints), Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby), Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints), Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks), Vilikesa Sela (Bath Rugby), Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby)
Backs (16): Henry Arundell (Bath Rugby), Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby), Elliot Daly (Saracens), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs), George Ford (Sale Sharks), Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints), George Furbank (Northampton Saints), Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints), Cadan Murley (Harlequins), Max Ojomoh (Bath Rugby), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby), Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers)
England Six Nations squad: 2026 fixtures at a glance
- Sat 7 February, England v Wales (kick-off 4.40pm GMT, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham) Live on ITV in the UK
- Sat 14 February, Scotland v England (kick-off 4.40pm GMT, Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh) Live on ITV in the UK
- Sat 21 February, England v Ireland (kick-off 2.10pm GMT, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham) Live on ITV in the UK
- Sat 7 March, Italy v England (kick-off 4.40pm GMT, Stadio Olimpico, Rome) Live on ITV in the UK
- Sat 14 March, France v England (kick-off 8.10pm GMT, Stade de France, Paris) Live on ITV in the UK
- Read more: Men’s Six Nations fixtures 2026
England Six Nations squad: Line-ups from every match in 2025
Round 1: v Ireland (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Result: Ireland 27-22 England
Starting XV:
15. Freddie Steward
14. Tommy Freeman
13. Ollie Lawrence
12. Henry Slade
11. Cadan Murley
10. Marcus Smith
9. Alex Mitchell
1. Ellis Genge (vice-captain)
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie
3. Will Stuart
4. Maro Itoje (captain)
5. George Martin
6. Tom Curry
7. Ben Curry
8. Ben Earl
Replacements:
16. Theo Dan
17. Fin Baxter
18. Joe Heyes
19. Ollie Chessum
20. Chandler Cunningham-South
21. Tom Willis
22. Harry Randall
23. Fin Smith
Round 2: v France (Allianz Stadium, Twickenham)
Result: England 26-25 France
Starting XV:
15. Marcus Smith
14. Tommy Freeman
13. Ollie Lawrence
12. Henry Slade
11. Ollie Sleightholme
10. Fin Smith
9. Alex Mitchell
1. Ellis Genge (vice-captain)
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie
3. Will Stuart
4. Maro Itoje (captain)
5. George Martin
6. Tom Curry
7. Ben Earl
8. Tom Willis
Replacements:
16. Jamie George
17. Fin Baxter
18. Joe Heyes
19. Ollie Chessum
20. Chandler Cunningham-South
21. Ben Curry
22. Harry Randall
23. Elliot Daly
Round 3: v Scotland (Allianz Stadium, Twickenham)
Result: England 16-15 Scotland
Starting XV:
15. Marcus Smith
14. Tommy Freeman
13. Ollie Lawrence
12. Henry Slade
11. Ollie Sleightholme
10. Fin Smith
9. Alex Mitchell
1. Ellis Genge (vice-captain)
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie
3. Will Stuart
4. Maro Itoje (captain)
5. Ollie Chessum
6. Tom Curry
7. Ben Earl
8. Tom Willis
Replacements:
16. Jamie George
17. Fin Baxter
18. Joe Heyes
19. Ted Hill
20. Chandler Cunningham-South
21. Ben Curry
22. Harry Randall
23. Elliot Daly
Round 4: v Italy (Allianz Stadium, Twickenham)
Result: England 47-24 Italy
Starting XV:
15. Elliot Daly
14. Tommy Freeman
13. Ollie Lawrence
12. Fraser Dingwall
11. Ollie Sleightholme
10. Fin Smith
9. Alex Mitchell
1. Ellis Genge (vice-captain)
2. Jamie George (vice-captain)
3. Will Stuart
4. Maro Itoje (captain)
5. Ollie Chessum
6. Tom Curry
7. Ben Earl
8. Tom Willis
Replacements:
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie
17. Fin Baxter
18. Joe Heyes
19. Ted Hill
20. Chandler Cunningham-South
21. Ben Curry
22. Jack van Poortvliet
23. Marcus Smith
Round 5: v Wales (Principality Stadium, Cardiff)
Result: Wales 14-68 England
15. Marcus Smith
14. Tom Roebuck
13. Tommy Freeman
12. Fraser Dingwall
11. Elliot Daly
10. Fin Smith
9. Alex Mitchell
1. Ellis Genge (vice-captain)
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie
3. Will Stuart
4. Maro Itoje (captain)
5. Ollie Chessum
6. Tom Curry
7. Ben Curry
8. Ben Earl
Replacements:
16. Jamie George
17. Fin Baxter
18. Joe Heyes
19. Chandler Cunningham-South
20. Henry Pollock
21. Tom Willis
22. Jack van Poortvliet
23. George Ford
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