English rugby is in a very good place at the start of 2026.
The men’s national team will begin the Six Nations on an 11-match winning run, while their women’s counterparts are world champions and their game’s dominant force. There have been some fantastic PREM Rugby games over Christmas and New Year and around the rest of the globe, international rugby is in rude health overall.
Here are my eight big talking points for the year ahead…
1. ENGLAND’S NEXT BIG CHALLENGE
Steve Borthwick’s side had a superb 2025, winning 11 of their 12 matches and claiming a first autumn clean sweep since 2017. Any England team should always be competing for the Six Nations, but Borthwick’s side has definitely got the potential to win a first title since 2020 this year.
England aren’t yet the finished article, even if they are now ranked third in the world behind South Africa and the All Blacks. Whatever the rankings say, I think England are the Championship’s second-best team behind France.
As such, it wouldn’t be a disaster if they didn’t lift the title. But what England must do is prove they can win big games away from home. That is the next step in their evolution.
England can’t be considered potential World Cup winners until they have beaten big teams in their own backyard. The next World Cup is in Australia in 18 months – a long way from the comforts of Twickenham.
England won 11 of their 12 matches in 2025 – now Steve Borthwick’s side, with Henry Pollock (above) to the fore, has got the potential to win a first Six Nations title since 2020
England won the 2025 Calcutta Cup by beating Scotland at home – now they must beat them at Murrayfield in the next step of their evolution
England will beat Wales at home in their first game. But then Scotland away is a huge clash for both teams. Scotland and Gregor Townsend copped plenty of criticism through the autumn, but they are a very good team.
They will relish England at home, and have not lost to them there for six years. Scotland will know if they beat their fiercest rivals, the criticism will disappear. I know how hard it is to win in Edinburgh and we’ll know a lot more about Borthwick’s men from how they perform at Murrayfield.
Looking further ahead, the Nations Championship game away to double world champions South Africa on July 4 is just an awesome fixture for England. Playing the Springboks away a year out from the World Cup is exactly the sort of challenge that will show where England are. Good teams win regularly at home. Great teams can win anywhere in the world.
Right now, England are a very good team. They’re not great yet, but they certainly can be.
2. FREEMAN AT 13, DITCH THE SMITH FULL-BACK EXPERIMENT
Borthwick has done very well to build an England squad of impressive depth.
That was shown in the autumn when Max Ojomoh came in from the wilderness to start against Argentina and was player of the match.
England have quality across the board, but now is the right time for Borthwick to start to nail his selection colours to the mast. We should be able to say what England’s first-choice team is by the end of the Six Nations.
The area still to be sorted is the centre pairing. England have the players, but there is still confusion around who starts. I’d continue with Tommy Freeman at outside centre. I’ve found it interesting to see Freeman there for Saints against both Bath and Harlequins. England have so many different options that Borthwick is in a fortunate position.
I would continue with the explosive Tommy Freeman at outside centre in the England team
But Marcus Smith cannot play at full-back anymore. It is doing him no favours
Selection will always be the No 1 skillset of any head coach, so Borthwick has to get the inside centre position right. Fraser Dingwall, Seb Atkinson and Ojomoh are all options. Ollie Lawrence is a wonderful player too and will be in the midfield equation.
I’d like to see George Furbank back at full-back. He offers a ball-playing presence that Freddie Steward can’t and I’ve always said Marcus Smith just isn’t a 15 at World Cup level.
Smith has been struggling in a poor Harlequins team, but even on top form he isn’t an international full-back and England considering him there is doing him no good.
3. DON’T DISCOUNT FARRELL
Owen Farrell is 34 and hasn’t played for England since returning to Saracens this season from Racing 92. Perhaps Farrell has made peace with the fact he won’t play another Test, and perhaps he doesn’t want to, given he stepped aside for mental health reasons.
But I wouldn’t rule him out returning to international level. You might say England don’t need him given the number of options they have at fly-half, but experience is something you can never discount.
Aside from winning a World Cup, Farrell has done pretty much everything in the game and his know-how could be invaluable. The biggest compliment I can give Farrell is that opposition teams wouldn’t want to see him in a white shirt.
It might not happen, but I’d have no qualms if Borthwick gave him a chance, and his quality means he should still be trusted at the highest level. Previous coaches ruined Farell by playing him at 12. He is world class at 10.
Do not rule out an Owen Farrell England comeback in 2026
4. LAW FRUSTRATION
World Rugby is forever tweaking the game’s laws. I’m not a fan.
The ban on escort runners blocking opposition players chasing a kick has made the aerial battle one of the most important areas of the game. But the result has been more and more kicking, which is not the most entertaining for fans.
I’m not sure how you stop that now, but one thing that can be changed is the time a scrum-half is given to play the ball at a ruck or maul. The game is still too slow, with No 9s allowed to roll the ball back and protect themselves by using forwards to form a ‘caterpillar’ ruck.
I’d insist a scrum-half has to use the ball within two seconds of the referee telling him to. The current rule is five, which is still way too long. That would only serve to increase the speed of the game which is something everyone wants.
I’d also like to see top referees have greater courage of their convictions and use the television match official less. Yes, we want the right calls to be made. But we’ve got to a stage where the TMO is becoming more important than the referee on the field because they are making all the big calls. That can’t be right.
The PREM matches between Bath and Northampton and Exeter and Leicester over Christmas were dominated by the TMO.
5. BRING IN SIX NATIONS RELEGATION
This is not a new debate. But I’m all in favour of promotion and relegation in the Six Nations.
Whoever finishes bottom in each year’s Championship should face a two-legged play-off (home and away) against the winner of Rugby Europe. It’s a no-brainer and would bring some welcome jeopardy to the tournament.
Wales are currently the Championship’s strugglers and wouldn’t welcome a play-off. But such a scenario would actually benefit them. Countries like Georgia, Portugal and Spain deserve a chance.
It is a shame though that Georgia, who have just sacked Richard Cockerill as head coach, have regressed since the 2023 World Cup. But that doesn’t mean they, or any of their rivals, should be denied a shot at the highest level.
Wales ‘won’ the Six Nations wooden spoon in 2025 and I would introduce a relegation play-off
It is a shame though that Georgia, who have just sacked Richard Cockerill as head coach, have regressed since the 2023 World Cup
6. SORT HEAD INJURY LEGAL SHAMBLES
I get asked a lot these days if I’d allow my children to play rugby given what we now know about ex-players suffering from neurological diseases. The answer is yes, so long as all concussion protocols are adhered to.
Rugby at the highest level has improved its safety measures. But the ongoing court case between ex-players – like my former England hooker Steve Thompson – and the game’s authorities shows no sign of ending. It’s been going on for five years now.
All parties are losing as a result. There is lots of good work being done on research and prevention on head injuries around the world, but it’s too disjointed.
I’d like to see one body or company lead the way and get everyone working together under the same banner for the greater good. Rugby needs a resolution and quickly.
7. LIFE AFTER RUGBY
I’d have loved to have been a professional rugby player. But the fact I played in the amateur era and represented England and the Lions while still working a full-time job was a good thing.
One thing I’m passionate about is players taking control of their own futures. I don’t see enough of them planning for life after rugby. Even the game’s top stars will have to work when they retire.
Rugby isn’t like football where the money can set you up for life. It should be mandatory for all players to spend one afternoon a week looking at what they’d like to do when they’re no longer playing.
Some players do this. But too many don’t. I have now been director of sport for over 12 years at the Apex Ski Academy. Flavio Vitale, who is now skiing for France, has come through the academy while also studying at St Edward’s School in Oxford.
Now, the London School of Economics has accepted him to do his degree course over seven years with the majority of it taking place online, so he can continue to study. That’s a great lesson for all professional sports people.
Rugby is a brilliant career, but it will end one day. Players have to be ready for when that day comes.
8. RECOGNITION RETHINK NEEDED
England’s women winning a home World Cup was one of the moments of 2025 and a fully deserved success.
England’s women celebrate winning the World Cup – but I cannot believe ALL the players were not awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours. That should be rectified
England’s victory will help change the face of female sport in this country
But I cannot believe only a handful of players and John Mitchell, the coach, were awarded New Year Honours as a result. Every member of the squad had to be given an MBE as a minimum. Rugby is a team game. The Red Roses awards going to just a few goes against every essence of what the word ‘team’ stands for. It wasn’t a good look by whoever made that call – and I would love to know who did. It was a massive own goal.
When England won the 2003 men’s World Cup, I made sure every member of staff – player or management – was recognised.
It is wrong that in the case of both England women’s rugby and football teams, only some have been recognised for their achievements in winning major trophies. I’d be surprised if the players were happy with that.
All of England’s women’s rugby stars deserve recognition for not only winning the World Cup but representing their country with pride and helping change the face of female sport. I’d urge whoever makes these decisions to rethink. It’s not too late for the right call to be made.