Steve Borthwick’s side will be fancying their chances of lifting the famous trophy after completing their first autumnal clean sweep since 2021
England are on a hot streak of 11 Test wins in a row, the joint-third best in their history, and Steve Borthwick’s team have risen from seventh in the world rankings at the start of 2025, to third now.
A narrow victory over Scotland at Twickenham in February, when Finn Russell missed a potential winning kick taken from the wrong position, followed by a summer clean sweep in Argentina, and four wins out of four in the just completed autumn series, has created a brighter outlook around Borthwick after a losing run in 2024.
Now, for a bit of fun, let us look ahead two years to the next World Cup, and predict the England line-up for the big show in Australia in October and November 2027.
England’s winners and losers in 2025
Max Ojomoh impressed on his second cap with a try and two assists (Photo: Getty)
Bath’s flanker Guy Pepper and centre Max Ojomoh made big statements during the autumn series, with the workaholic line-out option Pepper starting all four Tests and Ojomoh seizing his unexpected chance with a try and two assists in the last match against Argentina.
The autumn also reminded us of Sam Underhill’s defensive destructivity, and rubber-stamped the advance of props Fin Baxter and Joe Heyes, while Ben Earl started and finished the series at No 8 – keeping Henry Pollock on the bench – and Maro Itoje at 30 years old showed why he will surely be England’s World Cup captain in 2027.
Fly-half is a knotty position to unpick, as Borthwick on the face of it seems happy to operate a job-sharing scheme with George Ford, Fin Smith and Marcus Smith, making them all winners in this selection game, although only if you accept modern rugby as a game for 23 men, not 15, or even 36, as in the wider squad.
The 32-year-old Ford built on a great summer tour to keep the England No 10 jersey for most of the autumn, and it’s up to Fin Smith to make a case as the more regular starter.
We don’t know what the plans are for Owen Farrell, if any, but he will be 36 at World Cup time.
Among the obvious losers, temporarily at least, were the injured players who had no chance to feature in England’s autumn, including George Furbank, George Martin, Bevan Rodd, Gabriel Oghre, Jack van Poortvliet, Ted Hill, Ben Curry, Emeka Ilione, Seb Atkinson, Harry Randall, Ollie Sleightholme, Oscar Beard, Alfie Barbeary and Curtis Langdon.
The wings Cadan Murley and Adam Radwan could have been picked in the autumn, but weren’t, so may be feeling frustrated.
Jamie George, Tommy Freeman, Tom Roebuck, Ollie Chessum, Fraser Dingwall and Ollie Lawrence missed one or two autumn matches each, with injuries, but most of that group have done enough across the year to be probable picks in 2027.
Positions still up for grabs
Jamie George will turn 37 during the next World Cup (Photo: Getty)
With no wish to be ageist, we must note the hooker Jamie George will turn 37 during the World Cup, so if Borthwick decides one of England’s greatest servants is not going to make it, he needs to get some miles into the legs of Theo Dan, Jamie Blamire, Oghre or Langdon, or promote the younger bucks Nathan Jibulu and Kepu Tuipulotu.
With around 21 England matches to be played between now and the World Cup, the time for development is not as long as we might think.
Looking at the 33-year-old utility back Elliot Daly, maybe the way to frame the age question is to say, if you are skillful enough, you are young enough.
So Daly should stay the course, unless a younger player simply outplays him.
At scrum-half, Alex Mitchell is firmly in position, but who will be with him if England take three No 9s to the World Cup?
Raffi Quirke offers more with the ball in hand than Ben Spencer, but Quirke was in the squad all autumn without getting a look-in, while Van Poortvliet has credit in the bank with Borthwick.
In the back row, Pollock is a great asset to England, aged just 20, and maybe the No 7 jersey will be where he eventually settles, or as brilliant impact from the bench – assuming he doesn’t get sparked out in the meantime by opponents not enamoured with his wilful winding-up.
Fingers must be crossed for Tom Curry to keep his battle with injury at bay for another two years.
Centre is another area of juicy debate, partly because it is wrapped up in how England want to play.
Against Argentina, who would have won at Twickenham if they’d taken half of their clearest scoring chances, there was a hint that kicking for the sake of it had returned – maybe because England lacked power carriers on the day.
On the positive side, Dingwall, Ojomoh and Lawrence have looked adept with the strike plays being honed by attack coach Lee Blackett.
Now remember the rumour suggested Seb Atkinson might have been the autumn No 12 if fit, but if the Gloucester man merits a look during the forthcoming Six Nations, that would mean dropping Dingwall and Ojomoh.
No wonder all the head coaches say selection is the toughest part of the job.
Predicted England team for 2027 World Cup
Backs:
- 15 George Furbank
- 14 Tom Roebuck
- 13 Tommy Freeman
- 12 Max Ojomoh
- 11 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
- 10 Fin Smith
- 9 Alex Mitchell
Forwards:
- 1 Fin Baxter
- 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie
- 3 Joe Heyes
- 4 Maro Itoje (c)
- 5 George Martin
- 6 Guy Pepper
- 7 Henry Pollock
- 8 Ben Earl
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