England’s new-look Henry Slade under head coach Steve Borthwick and Marcus Smith are being dropped to replace Owen Farrell ahead of the Six Nations clash against Italy at Twickenham on Sunday afternoon.
Last Updated: 11/02/23 1:19pm
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England international Henry Slade believes Steve Borthwick’s side will do well
England international Henry Slade believes Steve Borthwick’s side will do well
Henry Slade has warned England’s Six Nations players that Steve Borthwick’s side will “just get better” following their defeat at Twickenham in Scotland last week.
England will be looking to bounce back from their Calcutta Cup victory in the first round as their Six Nations campaign continues against Italy on Sunday.
Head coach Borthwick highlighted the role Slade played in his return to the line-up by opening up his midfield selection with Marcus Smith dropped to match Owen Farrell’s move from inside to the number 10 jersey.
The athleticism shown by Slade at 13 is clear evidence that the classy Exeter man will be a huge cog in Borthwick’s England squad.
“I’m really excited about the game against Italy,” Slade said Sky Sports. “A couple of weeks we had a lot of injuries to get back with the boys.
“We were disappointed with Scotland’s result. They played well but there are things we can improve.
“We are just starting as a team with new coaches coming in and we have faced a lot but we will be better from here, so even though we are disappointed with the loss, we are happy with the amount of work and the amount of things that need to be changed. “
With Ollie Lawrence providing the ball-carrying approach that Borthwick prefers inside, Slade is delighted with the new midfield look.
He said: “I think we bring different strengths and we complement each other. He is a big, strong and divisive person, so how we use all our strengths will be good.
“He’s the guy who’s going to make us win, while I’m probably a guy who likes to take other people in the inner game or wherever it may be, hopefully we can use those options.”
Owen Farrell starts at fly-half in place of Marcus Smith
And with Farrell starting at fly-half in Smith’s place, Slade said: “Well, he doesn’t have the bounce and bounce that Marcus Smith has but in terms of how well he speaks and how he can give clear instructions. They want to do it in attack and defence, not a big difference in this matter.
“Farrell is a very happy player to come out and we believe we can work together.
“Nobody wants to get dumped but Marcus is a great guy, he’s got a good head on his shoulders and obviously he’s got great talent but one of the most interesting things about him is his attitude and his whole life, so I’m sure he’ll take the best route possible.” .”
Slade hopes to ‘start again’ with England after a disappointing 12 months
Discussing his 12 months, Slade added: “Obviously it was a frustrating time or missing the tour through injury and on the bench in the Autumn so I hope it’s a fresh start.
“New coaches are in, new start and new competition. It’s my first game so I’m excited to go and there’s a lot of room for growth. We’re just getting started and it’s exciting times.”
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Max Malins, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Jack van Poortvliet; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 4 Ollie Chessum, 5 Maro Itoje, 6 Lewis Ludlam, 7 Jack Willis, 8 Alex Dombrandt
Substitutes: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Henry Arundell.
