Henry Arundell starts for England as Steve Borthwick names team for Six Nations opener against Wales, Maro Itoje and Henry Pollock on bench

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The England squad has been announced for the upcoming Six Nations opener against Wales on Saturday, and there are some big changes to Steve Borthwick's side. Henry Arundell makes his first start in three years, with Jamie George chosen to captain the side in Maro Itoje's absence. Itojie is joined on the bench by Henry Pollock, as England chase their first Six Nations title since 2020.

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Henry Arundell will start for England as Steve Borthwick names his team for their 2026 Six Nations opener against Wales this Saturday.

It will be Arundell's first start in three years, with his last coming in the 2023 World Cup bronze medal match victory against Argentina.

Maro Itoje will start on the bench, with the current England skipper only due to return from Nigeria later this week after attending his mother's funeral.

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Itoje has appeared in every minute of England's last six Six Nations campaigns, but in his absence for the Wales clash, Jamie George will captain the side.

"England versus Wales is always a special occasion in the rugby calendar. It’s a fierce rivalry with a long history, and one that brings a huge challenge every time we meet," England boss Borthwick said upon his selection.

"We expect Wales to bring a kicking game, so we’ll need to be accurate in how we respond to that challenge. For us, our focus is on executing our game plan and maintaining discipline throughout the match.

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"We’re excited to get the Championship underway at a packed-out Allianz Stadium. The support we receive at home is outstanding and always gives the players a huge lift."

George, who shared the captaincy with George Ford on last summer’s tour of Argentina in Itoje's absence, will solely lead the team for the first time since the autumn of 2024. Ford and Ellis Genge have been named vice-captains.

Elsewhere, Alex Coles and Ollie Chessum have been selected to start in the second row while Tom Roebuck is out with a toe injury.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has been picked on the right wing in a bid to deal with the pace of the likely selected Wales man Louis Rees-Zammit.

Joe Heyes joins George and Genge in the front row at tighthead prop, with Guy Pepper, Sam Underhill and Ben Earl making up the back row.

Northampton Saints duo Fraser Dingwall and Tommy Freeman start in the centre spots, with Alex Mitchell at scrum-half and Freddie Steward at full-back.

Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Marcus Smith and Luke Cowan-Dickie are among the players that make up a strong bench.

After their opener against Wales at Twickenham, England will travel to Edinburgh to face Scotland a week later as they search for their first Six Nations title since 2020.

Then they will host Ireland, before wrapping up their campaign with two away trips to Italy and defending champions France, respectively.

England 23 to face Wales

15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 41 caps)

14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs, 13 caps)

13. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 22 caps)

12. Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, 7 caps)

11. Henry Arundell (Bath Rugby, 11 caps)

10. George Ford (Sale Sharks, 105 caps) – vice-captain

9. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 27 caps)

1. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 75 caps) – vice-captain

2. Jamie George (Saracens, 105 caps) – captain

3. Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 17 caps)

4. Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 14 caps)

5. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 30 caps)

6. Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby, 7 caps)

7. Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 45 caps)

8. Ben Earl (Saracens, 46 caps)

Replacements:

16. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 53 caps)

17. Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks, 10 caps)

18. Trevor Davison (Northampton Saints, 3 caps)

19. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 97 caps)

20. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 65 caps)

21. Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints, 5 caps)

22. Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby, 14 caps)

23. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 46 caps)

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