Three England A players knocking on the door of a Six Nations call-up

England find themselves in a strange position heading into the final two rounds of the Guinness Six Nations.

After a painful year of searching, they have finally struck upon that winning formula of sorts, securing back-to-back one-point victories over France and Scotland at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium, leaving them still in the hunt for the title.

But a fundamental component of this winning formula was Finn Russell missing a conversion at the death. The inevitable ‘finding a way to win’ rhetoric came out after the final whistle, and while that can be applied to the way Maro Itoje’s side clawed their way back after barely venturing into Scotland’s territory in the first half, the reality is that England had absolutely no control over the moment the entire match hinged on (save for a Cheslin Kolbe-esque charge down).

Had that kick gone over, no one would have said that Scotland were undeserving winners. Steve Borthwick has hammered home the point that the team are “evolving” and a work in progress, but a loss would have meant all the good work made with the victory over France would have been undone, and the final two matches of the Championship would have been for nothing more than pride.

Despite the Six Nations still being alive for England, no one is kidding themself into thinking they are anywhere near being the finished article. Fortunately, their final matches come against the two sides at the bottom of the table and comfortably the lowest in the world rankings, Italy and Wales. Borthwick has the chance to shake things up while still exerting pressure on the Championship leaders Ireland and France, with the two facing each other in round five.

England A’s win over Ireland A could therefore not have come at a better time for players who wanted to throw their hat in the ring for selection in the final two rounds. Yes, the circumstances were different, but Lee Blackett’s outfit played with an insatiable energy at times that those at the Allianz Stadium could have only dreamed of the day before.

An England A fixture is not a shout into the abyss either- four of the squad that were triumphant over Australia A in November have played for the senior side since.

Does Borthwick change a winning formula though? Can their Calcutta Cup win even be described as a winning formula? If England were going to change their squad for the Italy match had Russell’s kick gone over, then it is probably best they act as though it had.

The England selectors will at least have been given something to muse over heading into round four, and here are three players who will surely be at the top of their list.

Max Ojomoh 

Copy and paste the usual analysis of England’s midfield from the past ten years. The same problems.

England have persisted with Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence in the hope of the pairing clicking eventually- partnerships do take time overall. But Borthwick is clearly not completely comfortable with the duo. He swapped them over midway through the Autumn Nations Series, and has even flirted with the idea of Ben Earl in the centres.

Both Slade and Lawrence are natural outside centres, and there is an overarching feeling of square pegs and round holes with either having a No.12 on his back. Ask Oscar Beard, Luke Northmore, Fraser Dingwall, Alex Lozowski or Elliot Daly, and they would likely all say they are more comfortable at No.13. England need an inside centre.

Ironically, that may come from the player in the No.13 jersey against Ireland A, Bath’s Max Ojomoh (though inside centre Will Butt did his call-up chances no harm).

Comfortable in either midfield position, the 24-year-old has played the bulk of his career at inside centre, and what’s even more beneficial for England in terms of cohesion, his typical midfield partner is Lawrence.

Ojomoh has been on England’s radar for a while – Eddie Jones called him into camp as a 20-year-old – and he could be the answer to the age-old No.12 conundrum.

No non-half-back made more passes in the 28-12 win, no English back made more carries. The 98kg centre looked composed and supremely comfortable on the ball and appeared desperate to take control of the game, which he did.

Whether partnering Slade or Lawrence in the midfield, Ojomoh took a huge stride towards a first England cap in Bristol.

Jack van Poortvliet 

England A’s captain Jack van Poortvliet would have watched the performances of scrum-halves Alex Mitchell and Harry Randall against Scotland on Saturday and knew the door was ajar for him.

The 23-year-old was already a member of the Six Nations squad, was England’s most-capped player with 16 caps, and was only playing for the senior side four matches ago. He is very much in the Test picture, he just needed this A fixture to not only keep match sharpness but just to gently nudge Borthwick.

The Leicester Tigers No.9 would surely have felt it was job done when he walked off the field after 66 minutes. The ball is now in Borthwick’s court.

Sometimes a player can force it as they try to impress, and that’s the last thing a scrum-half should do. Instead, van Poortvliet managed the game expertly, bringing rampaging forward after rampaging forward into the game. Sprinkled with a moment of individual magic for his try, the England A captain did all he could do.

The only downside is that the swirling wind meant box kicking was not a viable option. Given that that was England’s modus operandi against Scotland, the conditions in Bristol were not exactly an ideal audition, particularly as van Poortvliet struggled in that department against the Springboks in November. But part of rugby is playing to the conditions, and he did that.

Of all the potential call-ups over the next two rounds, this seems the most likely.

Sees the gap. Takes the chance.@PoortvlietJack at his electric best for England A ⚡️

Watch LIVE on RugbyPass TV now pic.twitter.com/eSkEzPxTo3

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 23, 2025

Jack Kenningham

It is the cruel nature of sport that some players’ careers coincide with other very good players. A player who has one cap (or none) in one era could easily have 50 or more in another. In terms of the back-row, England seem to be in one of those eras where there is a glut of options and, as a result, some very good players will miss out.

Even with an injury to Sam Underhill this Six Nations, England have Tom Curry, Ben Earl, Ben Curry, Tom Willis, Alex Dombrandt, Chandler Cunngingham-South, Ollie Chessum and Ted Hill at their disposal. In the strata below – the England A level – there’s Jack Kenningham, Tom Pearson, Alfie Barbeary, Greg Fisilau and Henry Pollock. Spare a thought for Ethan Roots, Zach Mercer, Will Evans, Fitz Harding, Callum Chick and the ineligible Jack Willis- great players but out of the picture entirely.

All a player like Kenningham, and indeed Pearson, Barbeary and Fisilau, can do is make sure they put in statement performances like they did against Ireland A.

Player Turnovers Won

1

Jack Kenningham

3

2

Tom Lockett

2

3

Stephen Smyth

2

All four were terrific at Ashton Gate Stadium, but the Harlequin perhaps just edged his team-mates with some standout defensive contributions (though Fisilau’s try-scoring cameo was mightily impressive).

Pearson already has a cap to his name, Barbeary probably would have by now if it were not for injuries and suspensions, and senior honours are inevitable for the 21-year-old Exeter star Fisilau. Kenningham’s stock probably rose the most from this display.

In truth, a Six Nations call-up for any member of this quartet is slim (even with added back-row injuries), but the July tour of Argentina seems much more plausible.

England’s back-row will be well-represented in the British and Irish Lions squad later this year. Tom Curry and Ben Earl are shoo-ins for selection by Andy Farrell, and it would not be surprising if they were joined by other English back-row comrades. With other players potentially being rested at the end of the season, Kenningham, and the entire back-row quartet, could be donning the white jersey again.