Picking England's Six Nations squad: Four uncapped young stars, Marcus Smith at full-back and a monstrous back row
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Steve Borthwick will name an initial 36-man Six Nations squad on Tuesday and the England head coach finds himself spinning a lot of plates in terms of his selection planning, due to various disruptive factors. As ever, there have been complications and setbacks. The national team will be without at least three men who would have been likely members of the starting XV; George Furbank, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Sam Underhill. While Furbank, the country’s pre-eminent full-back for much of the last year, is likely to be available again during the championship after recovering from a broken arm, the other two absentees are expected to miss the entire tournament.
![[Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is one of multiple stars who will be absent through injury]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/12/22/94018721-14276575-image-m-42_1736722082645.jpg)
Underhill's Test career has been regularly punctuated by medical setbacks and this latest one comes after he was overlooked for one of the initial tranche of 17 enhanced EPS contracts, which were awarded by Borthwick to core members of his squad. That significant administrative development, as part of a new club-and-country PGP (Professional Game Partnership) deal, is likely to impact on Borthwick’s decision-making, as he will be inclined to favour contracted players, who he has more control over, in any 50-50 deliberations.
![[The side are hoping for a better Six Nations that last year's, which saw them finish third]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/12/22/94018787-14276575-image-a-43_1736722311499.jpg)
Next week England will relocate to Girona for a warm-weather training camp before their Six Nations opener against Ireland in Dublin on February 1. Borthwick and his assistants face an urgent mission to knit together a productive, revamped lineup, featuring some players at the peak of their powers, but many others striving for better form, or match sharpness. It is a major task, against the clock.
![[Marcus Smith is likely to be played at full-back in the initial absence of George Furbank]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/12/22/94018427-14276575-image-m-45_1736722398952.jpg)
