Six Nations: Tom Willis, Henry Pollock, Raffi Quirke and other potential picks for England
2025-01-13
Category: sports

New year, fresh blood, hope eternal.After a chastening autumn, England coach Steve Borthwick names his Six Nations squad on Tuesday.Since winning the title in 2020, England have not finished higher than third.Here are six possible new faces who could shake up the scene.
Tom Willis
Willis has been a juggernaut for Saracens this season, dumping a truckload of front-foot ball into the hands of fly-half Fergus Burke.Having replaced Billy Vunipola at club level, could he do the same at Test level as the heavy-duty metre-making number eight that England been short of at times?He gets through plenty of spadework on the other side of the ball as well, ranking third in the tackle count across the entirety of the Premiership.Fitz Harding has been impressive as part of an all-court Bristol pack, but it will be Willis' challenge that looms largest in the mind of England's sole number eight specialist Alex Dombrandt.
Max Ojomoh
Borthwick is a confirmed fan of uncapped Ojomoh, who trained with the seniors in 2021 and was called up to the squad during the 2024 Six Nations.The 24-year-old centre, whose father Steve won 12 caps in the England back row between 1994 and 1998, suffered a foot injury in pre-season that checked his progress, but made his return in November.He started alongside Ollie Lawrence in Bath's recent defeat by Northampton and, while many eyes were on the collision and kerfuffle between Lawrence and Saints scrum-half Alex Mitchell, Borthwick's might have been drawn to Ojomoh's deft no-look pass which put his team-mate into a hole moments earlier.England lack depth in their midfield talent pool and Ojomoh's silky hands, solid running and understanding with Lawrence would be a plus.Gloucester's Seb Atkinson and the Harlequins' trio of Luke Northmore, Oscar Beard and Lennox Anyanwu might also come into consideration, although a reported move to France, external next season would count against Anyanwu.
Jamie Blamire
Blamire has been part of a Newcastle side that has raged against others' low expectations and their own low budgets this season.A powerful presence in the loose, with five tries in 10 games, the 27-year-old seems to have settled some early-season wobbles on the line-out oche.Bristol's Gabriel Oghre and Northampton's Curtis Langdon have superior speed, but Blamire's mix of physicality and mobility combines the best qualities of current back-up hookers Theo Dan and Luke Cowan-Dickie.Blamire's most recent appearance in anger for England - if you disregard a World Cup warm-up against Wales - was as a starter in a Twickenham victory over world champions South Africa.That alone may justify another look.
Raffi Quirke
There is a bunfight behind first-choice scrum-half Alex Mitchell with none of Harry Randall, Ben Spencer and Jack van Poortvliet staking a conclusive claim.Quirke, who has had a rotten run of injuries, kick-started Sale's 38-0 win over Bristol in December with a delicious dummy and dart.This campaign might have come a little too early. More game time with his club may be a better way to bring him up to Test speed. A couple more weeks out with a minor quad tear after that win at Ashton Gate was further fuel to those who doubt his durability.But, conversely, England might decide that inside the camp will give them a better view of Quirke's fitness and give him a chance to get across a playbook that will have changed considerably since his most recent international appearance in 2021.
Henry Pollock
If they are good enough, they are old enough. What Henry Pollock, who turns 20 on Tuesday, lacks in experience, he certainly makes up for with confidence.The Northampton flanker has been in bristling, bustling form, relishing every confrontation put in front of him.An age-grade World Cup winner last summer and a star performer in England A's win over Australia in the autumn, he seems destined for the Test stage.Maro Itoje, similarly heralded on the pathways, was blooded young and quickly with a call-up to a World Cup training squad at 20 and a Six Nations debut as a 21-year-old. He never looked back.Bath's Guy Pepper, Sale's Ben Curry and Saints team-mate Tom Pearson might present opposing arguments, but Pollock's two timely tries against Stade Francais on Saturday could put him on a similarly fast track.
Cadan Murley
Reviving England A was supposed to provide a stepping stone between the helter-skelter world of the Premiership and the pressure of the Test arena.Harlequins flier Cadan Murley has not put a foot wrong crossing that divide with two tries against Australia in November after a hat-trick against Portugal in February.He has been consistently excellent for Quins, with an appetite for work and a keen nose for the line.With wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso out for a decent part, if not all, of the Six Nations, Murley's all-round game could edge Bristol's Gabriel Ibitoye, who is nursing his own injury, Sale's Tom Roebuck, Northampton's George Hendy and Leicester's Ollie Hassell-Collins, if Borthwick looks for a different option to autumn pick Ollie Sleightholme.