ENGLAND HAVE BEEN hit by the loss of vice-captain Jamie George for their Six Nations opener against Ireland on 1 February, with Alex Mitchell also a doubt for the Dublin showdown.
Hooker George suffered a hamstring injury in Saracens’ Investec Champions Cup defeat by Castres on Sunday and will miss the start of the tournament, the Rugby Football Union has confirmed.
Northampton scrum-half Mitchell sustained a knee problem against Munster on Saturday but could yet feature against Ireland after being taken to the squad’s pre-Championship training camp in Girona to continue his rehabilitation.
An attritional weekend of European action has also seen Northampton lock Alex Coles, Leicester scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet and Harlequins number eight Alex Dombrandt ruled out of contention for the Aviva Stadium clash.
An update to our 2025 Guinness Men's Six Nations squad, as preparations get underway at our training base in Girona today 🌹@O2 | #WearTheRose | #GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/h4PKoL5zDO
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) January 21, 2025
The english rugby podcasts throw around “world class” tags like they’re candy. RR’s comment of “WC in the making” is probably fair, but it’s pretty easy to say that as who knows what will happen. My main issue is that Ive always felt WC meant you were a shoe-in for the top 3 players in that position in world rugby as chosen by pretty much anybody, not just your national team coach. Anything less is international class, which is nothing to sniff at, but is a very different grade. And right now, outside France, I don’t see that many players in the 6N teams that are in that category. Xander F at Tight head, Doris at 8, Ringrose at OC and Keenan at FB and Sheehan at Hooker before his injury, after that I’m not sure. Furlong was, but hasn’t shown it in a good while now and JVDF feels so close, but the fact that the UK media never gives him much credit makes me wonder if I’m being blinkered.
@Damien Cosgrove: Ireland have world class player’s and are proven they hardly ever lose as well .
@Damien Cosgrove: beirne and jvf are world class age has improved them
@Damien Cosgrove: to be fair if I asked you the same question the last two years you would have said the same about France and Ireland and yet we’ve had their number both years home and away. Results don’t lie
@Damien Cosgrove: as for Jvdf… World rugby and his peers around the world decided he was worthy of world player of the year so I wouldn’t be relying on whatever English podcasts you are listening to for validation for him. He is world class
@Raymond: agreed JVDF was world player of the year, and beirne has been named twice in world XV of the year.
@Max: out of curiosity, who in the irish squad do you consider world class? there is world class players there alright, but i just curious to see who you consider world class in comparison to who i consider world class.
@Niall English: I did reply but it wont come in comments ah well
@Max: up
@Damien Cosgrove: Van der Flier maybe, but you are not far wrong. I would agree with the top 3. You have to be in with a shout of making a “World 23″ to be considered world class
Porter, Sheehan, Furlong, Beirne, JVDF, Doris, JGP, Lowe, Aki, Ringrose and Keenan would all be top 3 in their positions.
@Kieran Bacon: well said
@Kieran Bacon: I would say lowe is barely top 10, he would not get near the SA,NZ, or France teams…
@Eoin Barry: Lowe is a weird one. He’s a totally different type of winger for a totally different gameplan. He’s so difficult to lump in with other wingers and evaluate.
They need Mitchel, VanPoort makes some silly blunders at times. Looks like Tom Willis might get a nod, good news as Coombes, Kendellin and JoD handled himself and Ben Earl fairly pretty well, nothing too scary there. Front row tho, the English don’t struggle for depth like we do, even that U20s front row from last year was terrifying.
Cowan dickie will probably start lol
Theo Dan is a world class hooker in the making. A mix between Sheehan and Mauvaka.
@Ray Ridge: So world class he’ll be starting on the bench. Never one to miss an opportunity to show the depth of your “knowledge” Ray!
@Ray Ridge: Who
@Patrick Kennedy: Great depth in that English squad pat. Might have something to do with it. As I said “in the making”. He’s only young ffs.
@Patrick Kennedy: whether or not a coach selects you is solely opinion based. he may be world class and every other coach in the world may think he is world class, and just because borthwick doesnt think so, and hence doesnt select him, does not mean hes not world class as you insinuated.
@Teddy O neill: You need to watch a bit more rugby, baby. For I don’t have the time, and i certainly don’t have the patience for trying to educate lads on here.
@Niall English: just because a particular coach selects you is not grounds for saying he is a world class player because sure he’s in “insert team”, it just means the head of coach of that team thinks you are a good player. take soccer as an example, everytime a new manager is appointed, the first call is to sell players he doesnt rate, and bring in players he does rate. it doesnt mean any of them are better or worse players than each other, it is just based solely on the opinion of that manager.
@Ray Ridge: Oh he is english so his gotta be world class.The english team got destroyed in europe last weekend
@Ray Ridge: some depth allright got smashed last weekend
@Ray Ridge: He has potential to be world class but is nowhere near it yet. As the saying goes ‘potential means you just haven’t done it yet’. Though the injury to George is a plus for England
@Ray Ridge: Looks like you never seen a game period
@Ray Ridge: Steady
@Ray Ridge: you don’t afford Sam Prendergast the same respect
@anthony davoren: Are anything irish
@Ray Ridge: are you joking. You’re English bias really shining through now. Let’s look at the fact shall we…first of all Theo is 24, when Sheehan was 24 he was starting in the number 1 team in the world. He was considered to be the best hooker in the world already at this stage along with Marx. Theo isnt even a starter for Saracens. He can’t even take an ageing Jamie George’s starting position and George, whilst being very good, was never world class. He was drafted in to England for Autumn internationals and got one game out of the four. He is not world class, he is nothing like Dan Sheehan and there is nothing to suggest he will be world class. He’s a useful back up to have when an injury crisis hits that position and that’s the facts.
@Niall English: Patrick is right in this instance though Niall. RR is talking nonsense about Theo. Look him up. He’s a 24 year old back up hooker for Saracens. Sheehan was considered the best in the world at that age alongside Marx.
@anthony davoren: oh agreed, the point i was trying to make was not necessarily about Dan himself, but moreso about patrick stating he cant be world class because hes on the bench. in general a world class player could sit on the bench. just because X player is on the bench, just means the coach does not think he’s world class, when say every man woman and god in the world rates him as world class. it all just comes down to one opinion and thats how the head coach rates you. personally i think sheehan, marx (when fully fit) and mauvaka are world class at the minute, but there was a time when i watched a young camille chat as a wrecking ball for metro and france and would have considered him potential world class.
@Ray Ridge: for a guy with limited time, you still manage to spend a lot of time in the comment sections of the 42
@Niall English: aw ya I understand that
@Niall English: Very true
@Niall English: Where’s he gone lol
@Teddy O neill: camille chat? given whats recently happened, hes probably down the pub somewhere. shame. as a young player i thought he had it all for a hooker, just never materialised.
@Ray Ridge: “in the making”? He’s hardly an 18 year old. He’s nearly as old as Sheehan.
@anthony davoren: @Seanie You boys gotta avail of the mute button. It is life changing!!