England head coach Steve Borthwick has set his sights on a Six Nations title challenge after unveiling his squad for the 2026 championship. Speaking with confidence, Borthwick expressed his belief that his team is well placed to end their title drought, which stretches back to 2020.
Building on an Impressive Winning Streak
The England squad enters the tournament on the back of an impressive 11-match winning run, providing a solid foundation for their championship ambitions. Their campaign begins at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium on Saturday 7 February, where they will face Wales in what promises to be a compelling opening fixture.
Most bookmakers and rugby pundits currently place England as second favourites behind defending champions France. The French side will host England in the final fixture of "Super Saturday" on 14 March at the Stade de France, in what could prove to be a championship decider.
A Challenging Path to Paris
England's journey to that potential Paris showdown includes several significant hurdles. An away Calcutta Cup match against Scotland, a home clash with Ireland, and that final fixture in France represent a particularly challenging itinerary. Last year's campaign saw England miss out by a single point despite beating the eventual winners, with their title hopes ultimately dashed by an opening defeat to Ireland in Dublin.
Borthwick has nevertheless challenged his side to approach the tournament with the clear objective of arriving in Paris with the championship within their grasp. "I think the first thing I'd like to say about that is I think it is brilliant that people are talking in that way about this England team," Borthwick commented regarding the growing expectations surrounding his squad.
"They can see the development of the team and they can see the talent that's in the team and they can see the potential that's in it. I think we're nowhere near maxing out the potential. It's got a lot of talent within it."
Preparing for a Championship Decider
The England coach revealed that his squad has already begun focusing on the tournament's likely dramatic conclusion. "[The squad] met a couple of weeks ago and we talked about the Six Nations Championship," Borthwick explained. "We know it's tight, we know there's lots of good teams in it. We also know the last seven Six Nations Championships have gone down to the last round of fixtures and we talked about that as a team."
He added with clear ambition: "On the 14th of March in Paris, we want to be in a position entering that game where we can achieve what we're all aiming to achieve. We want England fans flooding across the Channel to Paris to come and watch the team in a massive encounter on the final round with the opportunity to achieve what we want."
Addressing Historical Weaknesses
Borthwick acknowledged that England have sometimes struggled at the beginning of campaigns in recent years. He noted that squads drawn from a wide range of Premiership clubs have occasionally arrived under-prepared for the immediate intensity of Test rugby.
However, significant structural changes have been implemented to address these concerns. The introduction of enhanced Elite Player Squad contracts, which give the head coach greater control over a core group of 25 players, has been particularly important. Additionally, the arrival of Phil Morrow from Saracens as head of performance has helped to improve conditioning standards across the squad.
Embracing a Brave New Approach
Borthwick emphasised his belief in the squad's continued development and potential. "I've said this many times, but I think this team has the potential to be an outstanding team," he stated. "We have players in there with huge amounts of talent, and whilst we're still reasonably low on experience at Test level, as they get used to Test rugby their growth is going to be enormous."
The coach has encouraged his players to adopt a more attacking mindset throughout the tournament. "I'm really pleased at how the players are embracing how we want to play, and taking the game on. I want them to attack this tournament, and I talked earlier on about them coming in with a mindset to play brave, and attack this tournament."
He added a note of caution regarding the hard work required: "The other aspect is that the growth of this team is going to be so dependent on how hard we work and improve. I asked the players two weeks ago to come in ready, and I want to ask them to embrace the physical and mental intensity that we're going to train at to take the team further on than where we are now."
Preparation and Injury Concerns
England will begin their final preparations with a training camp in Girona, Spain, starting on Tuesday. The squad includes five injured players – Fin Baxter, Tom Roebuck, Fin Smith, Ollie Lawrence and Ben Curry – who will travel to continue their rehabilitation programmes.
Borthwick confirmed that none of the quintet have been definitively ruled out of the opening match against Wales, though their participation remains uncertain. "I think they've got a chance," Borthwick said regarding the injured players. "For the Wales Test match, I think it would be tight. We'd need the rehab to go really well and tick all the boxes through the process. It's tight but I think they're all within a shot of it."
As England prepare for their Six Nations campaign, the combination of a favourable winning streak, structural improvements, and a clear tactical approach has created genuine optimism within the camp. With Borthwick at the helm and a squad eager to prove themselves on the international stage, English rugby fans have legitimate reasons to believe this could be their year to reclaim the championship trophy.
