Six Nations: Maro Itoje says England's fighting spirit is 'non-negotiable' under Steve Borthwick (2023)

Maro Itoje believes trouble will flare up again in the England squad as they head to the Six Nations under new coach Steve Borthwick.

Borthwick have announced their squad for this weekend's opener against Scotland on Thursday, with Dan Cole returning and powerhouse center Manu Tuilagi absent.

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Itoje will start at Twickenham on Saturday and knows he still has a lot of work to do to retain his place in the Borthwick team as the new manager sets his 'non-negotiable' standards.

"It's a big game, a big game for England, a big game for us and for me personally," said Itoje.

"It's a game we're really looking forward to. It's the old rivalry, as they say, and we're very excited.

"Obviously Steve is a different man than Eddie (Jones) so he has his own way of getting things done and he has his own way of running his business - so there was a slightly different emphasis on different things.

"It was a little different, but we just stick with rugby. So we practiced a lot and spent time together – just the basics of test match rugby.

“If there's a leadership change you want to impress, you want to do your best. So he made it clear to us that the fight is non-negotiable.

“This team has to fight. Fighting for places, fighting on the field, fighting in training – that was very clear to us as a team.”

A strong emphasis on fighting for a shirt has been combined with a focus on not looking too far - and certainly not beyond a strong Scotland squad.

"It's something we talk about and it's a bit of a cliché, I know, but Steve made it clear that this game is the most important for us because it's the next game," said Itoje.

“Individually, together and as a team, we are not looking too far ahead. We only look to Scotland and want to do our best.”

Borthwick: England fans deserve attention in Scotland game | Farrell and Smith "correct agreement"

That sentiment is shared by Borthwick, who has opted to start his Six Nations campaign with Marcus Smith in midfield and captain Owen Farrell in the middle, a combination that has been hotly debated in recent months.

"First England vs Scotland, two teams fighting for the Calcutta Cup, what a game to start with," said Borthwick.

“The England team, we have some really experienced players who have been to the international testing arena a number of times and we also have some young players that are popping up in the testing arena and new combinations.

“I think that mix just adds to the excitement.

"I think it's the right combination for the game we have this weekend and I'm very clear that we're focused on the game ahead.

"It's certainly one of the key elements as we continue to develop as an English team. The players deserve it, the fans deserve it, for me to focus on the game immediately ahead.

"After this game, let's take the lessons we can learn from it, let's learn as quickly as possible and then focus on the next game. I think [Smith and Farrell] is the right combination for this game.

“I will choose a team and create a tactical plan for the game we have to play. It will always be like this.

"Let's focus on the game we're going to play and what the game is, England vs Scotland."

England:15 Freddie Steward, 14 Max Malins, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Jack van Poortvliet; 1. Ellis Genge, 2. Jamie George, 3. Kyle Sinckler, 4. Ollie Chessum, 5. Maro Itoje, 6. Lewis Ludlam, 7. Ben Curry, 8. Alex Dombrandt

Substitutions:16 Jack Walker, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Ollie Lawrence, 23 Anthony Watson.

Scotland: Ritchie becomes captain while Fagerson sits out

Jamie Ritchie will captain Scotland in the Six Nations opener against England but Zander Fagerson was not fit enough to be included in Gregor Townsend's 23-man squad.

Other first-team news reveals that scrum-half Ali Price, who toured with the British and Irish Lions in the summer of 2021, has left the squad entirely, with Ben White in the starting line-up and George Horne among the substitutes.

Veteran duo Richie Gray and Grant Gilchrist resume their partnership in the second row after impressing during last year's Autumn Nation Series, with Gilchrist being named vice-captain.

Scotland:15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Kyle Steyn, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben White; 1. Pierre Schoeman, 2. George Turner, 3. WP Nel, 4. Richie Gray, 5. Grant Gilchrist, 6. Jamie Ritchie (c), 7. Luke Crosbie, 8. Matt Fagerson

Substitutions:16 Fraser Brown, 17 Jamie Bhatti, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 Jonny Gray, 20 Jack Dempsey, 21 George Horne, 22 Blair Kinghorn, 23 Chris Harris

Ireland: Furlong is out as Sexton is fit to start

Tadhg Furlong has been ruled out of Ireland's opening Six Nations 2023 game against Wales in Cardiff in a blow to Andy Farrell's side.

Furlong, who has played just 36 minutes of rugby since the autumn internationals, was unable to recover from a calf injury and left Connacht's Finlay Bealham in the starting line-up.

Ulster center Stuart McCloskey was called up to the starting line-up, while captain Johnny Sexton was admitted after breaking a cheekbone.

Ireland:15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 James Lowe, 10 Johnny Sexon, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park; 1. Andrew Porter, 2. Dan Sheehan, 3. Finlay Bealham, 4. Tadhg Beirne, 5. James Ryan, 6. Peter O'Mahony, 7. Josh van der Flier, 8. Caelan Doris.

Substitutions:16 Rob Herring, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Bundee Aki.

Wales: Halfpenny fell on debut as Biggar returned

Full-back Leigh Halfpenny was ruled out in Wales' opener in the Guinness Six Nations against Ireland in Cardiff on Saturday.

Halfpenny was due to win his 98th cap and debut for Wales in 19 months, but assistant manager Jonathan Humphreys said he had suffered a back spasm and would miss the game.

Veteran Cardiff defender Liam Williams will replace Halfpenny with the number 15 shirt.

Wales:15 Liam Williams, 14 Josh Adams, 13 George North, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Tomos Williams; 1 Gareth Thomas, 2 Ken Owens (c), 3 Tomas Francis, 4 Adam Beard, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 6 Jac Morgan, 7 Justin Tipuric, 8 Taulupe Faletau

Substitutions:16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Rhys Carre, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Dafydd Jenkins, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Rhys Webb, 22 Owen Williams, 23 Alex Cuthbert