Six Nations: Maro Itoje says England's fighting spirit is 'non-negotiable' under Steve Borthwick | Rugby Union News - WireFan - Your source for social news and networking (2023)

Maro Itoje believes there is a renewed struggle in the England squad as they head into the Six Nations under new manager Steve Borthwick.

Borthwick announced his squad for this weekend's opener against Scotland on Thursday, with the return of Dan Cole and the absence of powerful center Manu Tuilagi.

Itoje is scheduled to start at Twickenham on Saturday and knows he has a lot of work ahead of him to keep his place in the Borthwick squad as the new manager sets his "non-negotiable" standards.

"It's a great game, a great game for England, a great game for us and me individually," Itoje said.

“It is a game that we are very excited to play. This is the old rivalry, as they say, and we're very excited.

“Of course, obviously, Steve is a different man than Eddie (Jones), so he has his own way of doing things and his own way of going about his business, so there was a slightly different emphasis on different things.

“It's been a bit different, but we ended up stuck in rugby. So we've been training a lot and spending time together, just the basics of test rugby.

“When there is a leadership change that you want to impress, you want to do the best you can. So one thing that he made clear to us is that the fight is non-negotiable.

“There has to be a fight in this team. Fighting for places, fighting on the pitch, fighting in training, that has been very clear to us as a team."

A heavy emphasis on fighting for a jersey was combined with a focus on not looking too far, and certainly not beyond a strong Scottish team.

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

“Individually, collectively, as a team, we don't look too far. We're just looking at Scotland and we want to do our best."

Borthwick: England fans deserve attention at Scotland game | Farrell and Smith 'correct match'

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

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

“In the England squad, we have some really experienced players who have been to the international Test arena a number of times, and we also have some young players coming into the Test arena and new combinations.

“I think that mix just adds to the excitement.

“I think it is the right combination for the game we have this weekend and I am very clear that we are focused on the game ahead of us.

“That is certainly one of the key elements as we go forward as an England team, the players deserve it, the fans deserve it, for me to focus on the game immediately ahead of us.

“After this game, let's take the lessons we can learn from it, 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 pick a team and make a tactical plan for the game we have to play. It will always be so.

"We are going to focus on the game we are about to play and what the game is about, England v 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 named captain while Fagerson sits out

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

Other first-team news shows scrum-half Ali Price, who toured with the British and Irish Lions in the summer of 2021, has withdrawn from the squad entirely, with Ben White starting and George Horne among the replacements.

Experienced duo Richie Gray and Grant Gilchrist resume their second-string partnership 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 ruled out and Sexton eligible to start

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

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

Ulster center Stuart McCloskey was named in the starting line-up, while captain Johnny Sexton was approved after suffering a broken 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 dropped on debut with Biggar's return

Full-back Leigh Halfpenny has been ruled out of Wales' opening Guinness Six Nations match against Ireland in Cardiff on Saturday.

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

Experienced Cardiff defender Liam Williams will replace Halfpenny in 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 Refell, 21 Rhys Webb, 22 Owen Williams, 23 Alex Cuthbert