Immanuel Feyi-Waboso will make his first start for England in Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash with Ireland at Twickenham.

In an audacious selection by head coach Steve Borthwick, Feyi-Waboso will line-up on the right wing less than a year after playing for National League One side Taunton Titans.

The 21-year-old made his debut off the bench against Italy at the start of the tournament and also came on as a replacement for the round three defeat by Scotland, both appearances totalling 20 minutes.

Apart from scoring a try in his cameo at Murrayfield, the Exeter Chief showed significant promise and is chosen ahead of 67-cap veteran Elliot Daly, who is given the number 23 jersey instead.

Borthwick has made three changes in personnel and one positional switch following the 30-21 mauling in Edinburgh, but there is still no place for Freddie Steward at full-back with George Furbank continuing at 15.

Ireland have recalled “world-class” Hugo Keenan for Saturday’s clash with England but will be without lock James Ryan for the remainder of the Guinness Six Nations.

Fit-again full-back Keenan replaces Ciaran Frawley in the only change to Andy Farrell’s starting XV after overcoming the knee issue which caused him to miss the 31-7 round-three win over Wales.

Lock Ryan, who has been reduced to a peripheral role during the championship, suffered a “freak” bicep injury in training on Wednesday and will sit out the trip to Twickenham, in addition to next week’s finale against Scotland.

“I think it would be a boost for any side in world rugby,” head coach Farrell said of the return of Keenan.

“He’s a world-class full-back.

“It’s testament to him and it’s no shock to us that he’s been able to get himself back to this position to be involved this weekend as he’s been unbelievably diligent over the last few weeks to make that happen.”

Ulster second row Iain Henderson has recovered from a dislocated toe to take Ryan’s place on a bench which once again includes a six-two split of forwards and backs.

Ryan was strong contender to succeed Johnny Sexton as Ireland captain following the World Cup but the emergence of Leinster team-mate Joe McCarthy has limited him to just one start during this year’s tournament.

“He got injured yesterday in training, just a freak accident really, just a reaction, reaching out for a tackle that was non-contact and he’s injured his bicep,” Farrell said of Ryan.

“He won’t be available for the remainder of this Six Nations.”

Prop Finlay Bealham and the versatile Frawley join Henderson among the replacements, with Oli Jager, who has a knee problem, and centre Stuart McCloskey dropping out of the match-day 23.

Garry Ringrose is fit following a shoulder injury but must wait for his first international appearance since the World Cup due to the impressive form of midfield pair Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki.

Reigning champions Ireland, who are chasing successive Grand Slams on the back of bonus-point wins over France, Italy and Wales, could retain their title with a game to spare with victory in south-west London.

Steve Borthwick’s hosts were two minutes away from reaching the World Cup final in October but have attracted criticism for some underwhelming performances.

Englishman Farrell is braced for “one hell of a battle” against “unbelievably dangerous” opponents seeking to respond to Calcutta Cup defeat to Scotland.

“I don’t get involved with the criticism at all,” he said of England.

“I look at the individuals the way that they’re playing, the coaching staff that they got, the plan that they’ve got, a fantastic side that is going to be preparing to give it everything they’ve got at the weekend.

“That makes them unbelievably dangerous, we just prepare for them to be at their best and if that’s the case it’s going to be one hell of a battle.

“If they’re at their best, you expect them to be as hard as anyone in world rugby to beat.”

Ireland team: H Keenan (Leinster); C Nash (Munster), R Henshaw (Leinster), B Aki (Connacht), J Lowe (Leinster); J Crowley (Munster), J Gibson-Park (Leinster); A Porter (Leinster), D Sheehan (Leinster), T Furlong (Leinster), J McCarthy (Leinster), T Beirne (Munster), P O’Mahony (Munster, capt), J van der Flier (Leinster), C Doris (Leinster).

Replacements: R Kelleher (Leinster), C Healy (Leinster), F Bealham (Connacht), I Henderson (Ulster), R Baird (Leinster), J Conan (Leinster), C Murray (Munster), C Frawley (Leinster).

Gregor Townsend is desperate to see Scotland hit their maximum performance levels over the next two weekends as they bid to secure a first top-two finish in the Six Nations era.

The Scots are second in the championship table – a point ahead of England and three above France – as they prepare for matches away to Italy this Saturday and Grand Slam-chasing Ireland the following week.

Townsend has seen his team defeat Wales and England while going agonisingly close to defeating the French, but he still feels they are yet to hit top gear for any sustained period.

“Happy-ish,” he said, reflecting on the campaign so far. “You’ve obviously got to be delighted for the team to beat England and retain the Calcutta Cup.

“But in terms of performance, we’re a little bit away from what we know we can deliver. The first 45 minutes against Wales is probably still the best we’ve played.

“We had elements of control throughout much of the France game and for the last 60 minutes of the England game. But there’s still a lot more to come from us.

“We’re delighted with how the guys trained yesterday, a real physical session. The non-23 trained really well and really tested us. So the guys are in a good position to deliver their best performances over the next two weeks. That’s all we’re working towards.”

Scotland know that even if they win in Rome on Saturday, it may not be enough to stop Ireland securing the championship against England later in the day. If the Irish slip up at Twickenham, it could pave the way for a last weekend title shootout between Ireland and Scotland in Dublin.

“We can only do what we have to do this weekend which is deliver a winning performance and see where we are after that,” said Townsend.

“We’re the first game so I’m sure we’ll be watching the other game with interest.

“We’re into the last two rounds of the championship still in the mix, although it’s an outside chance for the championship. There’s a lot to play for this weekend and again in Dublin.”

Asked if a second-place finish would represent a good outcome for the Scots, who have never finished higher than third this century, Townsend, said: “I don’t know. Anything to build on what we’ve done in the last few years would be an improvement.

“We’re focused on the performance and we know that at times it’s been better since the World Cup and last year’s Six Nations but still not where we believe this team can be.”

Townsend has made three changes to his team for the match in the Stadio Olimpico.

Regular scrum-half Ben White has been rested following a busy schedule with Toulon, paving the way for Glasgow’s George Horne to make his first start since the 2019 World Cup and the experienced Ali Price – who has played no part in the championship so far – is promoted to the bench.

In-form Saracens back-rower Andy Christie replaces Jamie Ritchie, who drops to the bench, while Bath’s Cam Redpath takes the place of influential Glasgow centre Sione Tuipulotu, who is out for the remainder of the tournament with a knee injury.

“We feel Ben has played a lot of rugby, he’s only missed one game since October,” said Townsend, explaining the changes at scrum-half.

“Going back and forward to Toulon during this period, something’s got to give in terms of a rest at some point, and we feel this week is the best week for him to recharge.

“And also with the form and experience of the two other scrum-halves in our squad who have been training really well. George has been on the bench and Ali has been excellent during this period so we want to give those two an opportunity.”

Scrum-half George Horne has been handed a surprise start for Scotland’s Guinness Six Nations showdown with Italy in Rome on Saturday, with Gregor Townsend making three changes to his starting XV.

The 28-year-old Glasgow back has been given the nod to wear the number nine jersey for the first time since the 2019 World Cup. Regular starter Ben White is rested and drops out of the squad altogether, with Ali Price – who has played no part in the tournament – promoted to the bench.

Saracens flanker Andy Christie is handed his first international start in place of Jamie Ritchie, who is among the substitutes.

Bath centre Cam Redpath made a positive impact off the bench in the 30-21 victory over England and replaces Glasgow’s Sione Tuipulotu, who will miss the remainder of the championship with a knee injury.

Back-rower Matt Fagerson, who dropped out of the 23 altogether for the last match, returns to the bench, with Townsend switching from a 5/3 split to a 6/2.

The Scots are currently second in the table and need a win to keep alive their slim championship hopes.

Sam Underhill is savouring his England revival having feared his international career might already be over.

Underhill is poised to win his 34th cap in Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash with Ireland at Twickenham after returning to favour under Steve Borthwick – a comeback he views as a personal triumph.

Still only 27, the big-hitting Bath flanker missed 20 successive Tests from the second match of the 2022 tour to Australia because of a combination of concussion and selection.

But a sliding doors moment arrived when Jack Willis sustained a neck injury in last autumn’s World Cup and Underhill was propelled straight into the back row for the bronze final against Argentina.

A defensive masterclass consisting of 24 tackles resulted in the man of the match award and now that he has played four consecutive Tests, he grants himself a moment of recognition.

“It’s been class. All I wanted to do was to get back into this team and, if I’m perfectly honest, I was doubtful that that would happen,” Underhill said.

“This is the first time I’ve done a full campaign with Steve, under him as a coach. I played in the Aussie tour and then didn’t I play again until the third-fourth play-off, which was 18 months.

“My aim personally was to get back here. Now that I am, as a player you’re constantly looking for challenges, or things to go wrong or not be going that well.

“Whereas actually now, I am where I want to be and while I want to keep on improving, I have taken a moment to say to myself, ‘hey, you’re doing it, well done’.

 

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“I’m not just content to be here, I want to win with this team and help and perform as well as I can for them. It’s been class.”

Underhill’s standing among his team-mates was evident in July when Ben Earl spoke of the “shock” that rippled through the squad when the destructive openside was dropped early in the build-up to the World Cup.

As one of half of Eddie Jones’ ‘Kamikaze Kids’ who lit up Japan 2019, he was expected to travel to France having proven he can thrive on the greatest stage of all.

Instead, he was consigned to playing in the Premiership Rugby Cup for Bath in what was a test of his ability to rationalise the vagaries of selection.

“It would be remiss of me, and certainly any player, to think that they have to be in any team,” Underhill said.

“I respect the other players too much to say ‘I should be there’. A decision’s going to have to be made at some point, someone’s going to miss out.

“But someone missing out doesn’t mean they are a bad player. You’re not a better player for being picked than not being picked, or for getting a contract or not getting a contract. That’s the hard thing to get your head around sometimes.

“A lot of people talk about being process-driven but that’s easier said than done. When you aren’t picked, the ability to think that this isn’t actually a reflection of where I am, is important but tough.

“You’re allowed to be disappointed if you’re not selected, you’re allowed to be upset. What isn’t great for you is if you then let that affect your behaviour and let that affect your actions that come afterwards.”

Borthwick names his team to face Ireland at lunchtime on Thursday with England looking to bounce back after a comprehensive defeat to Scotland in round three.

Wales boss Warren Gatland has sprung a major selection surprise by omitting established centres George North and Nick Tompkins from his line-up for Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations clash with France.

But Wales assistant coach Mike Forshaw says both players have “jumped back on the horse” after being left out, with a new midfield pairing of Joe Roberts and Owen Watkin preferred.

While North and Tompkins have 155 caps between them – North is Wales’ most experienced Six Nations squad member – 23-year-old Scarlets centre Roberts will make his first tournament start and Watkin is recalled after featuring against opening opponents Scotland.

“I think it is an opportunity to have a look at Joe,” Forshaw said. “I think Joe was unlucky not to go to the World Cup.

“We just felt if we were going to have a look, this was the game to do it. He (Roberts) is a really promising young 13 going forward, and Owen Watkin has a lot of experience.

“I suppose there is always a risk in every selection, but I suppose we have to be confident in the messages we are giving and the coaching we are doing.

“They (North and Tompkins) are not injured. Nick and George have been spoken to. They firmly believe in what we are doing.

“I don’t think they have been dropped. They have had two games together and they have done extremely well.

“But we have got to see Joe playing, and we are going to see him. We’ve decided to make that switch this week, and we’ve got to back him.”

Wales have lost their last four Six Nations games against France, but they tackle a struggling Les Bleus team defeated by Ireland and one that drew at home against Italy either side of narrowly beating Scotland.

Wales, though, have yet to win in this season’s competition ahead of their final two fixtures against France and Italy, which are both at the Principality Stadium.

Forshaw added: “The two boys were disappointed, but this morning they jumped back on the horse and they were very supportive of Owen and Joe. George is a great man around this environment, and he totally gets it.

“I would be disappointed if they weren’t disappointed. Selection day is always tough because you want to be in the team, you want to play for Wales.

“This morning they were both great. They were down yesterday, which I get because I have been there and know what it is like, but the two boys who have come in they will fully support them.

“It’s just finding out what the next World Cup cycle is going to look like in material and personnel. I think at the end of this tournament we will have a good idea who is going to Australia (on Wales’ summer tour) and then going into the autumn.”

Elsewhere, Wales captain Dafydd Jenkins has been switched from lock to blindside flanker, with Will Rowlands called up as Adam Beard’s second-row partner, while hooker Ryan Elias replaces Elliot Dee.

It will be Jenkins’ first appearance in the number six shirt for club or country, and he takes over from Alex Mann.

Rowlands missed Wales’ opening Six Nations appointment with Scotland after his partner gave birth, and he then featured off the bench in defeats to England and Ireland.

Mann is among the replacements, where his colleagues include fellow Cardiff forward Mackenzie Martin, 49 times-capped Dee and Scarlets scrum-half Gareth Davies.

“I don’t think it is a risk with Daf at six,” Forshaw said. “He is around two very smart back-rowers.

“Will Rowlands played 70 minutes on the weekend in Paris (for his club Racing 92). I saw glimpses of him getting back to his best. I think it is a good fit for us this week.”

Wales boss Warren Gatland has sprung a major selection surprise by omitting established centres George North and Nick Tompkins from his line-up for Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations clash with France.

But Wales assistant coach Mike Forshaw says both players have “jumped back on the horse” after being left out, with a new midfield pairing of Joe Roberts and Owen Watkin preferred.

While North and Tompkins have 155 caps between them – North is Wales’ most experienced Six Nations squad member – 23-year-old Scarlets centre Roberts will make his first tournament start and Watkin is recalled after featuring against opening opponents Scotland.

“I think it is an opportunity to have a look at Joe,” Forshaw said. “I think Joe was unlucky not to go to the World Cup.

“We just felt if we were going to have a look, this was the game to do it. He (Roberts) is a really promising young 13 going forward, and Owen Watkin has a lot of experience.

“I suppose there is always a risk in every selection, but I suppose we have to be confident in the messages we are giving and the coaching we are doing.

“They (North and Tompkins) are not injured. Nick and George have been spoken to. They firmly believe in what we are doing.

“I don’t think they have been dropped. They have had two games together and they have done extremely well.

“But we have got to see Joe playing, and we are going to see him. We’ve decided to make that switch this week, and we’ve got to back him.”

Wales have lost their last four Six Nations games against France, but they tackle a struggling Les Bleus team defeated by Ireland and one that drew at home against Italy either side of narrowly beating Scotland.

Wales, though, have yet to win in this season’s competition ahead of their final two fixtures against France and Italy, which are both at the Principality Stadium.

Forshaw added: “The two boys were disappointed, but this morning they jumped back on the horse and they were very supportive of Owen and Joe. George is a great man around this environment, and he totally gets it.

“I would be disappointed if they weren’t disappointed. Selection day is always tough because you want to be in the team, you want to play for Wales.

“This morning they were both great. They were down yesterday, which I get because I have been there and know what it is like, but the two boys who have come in they will fully support them.

“It’s just finding out what the next World Cup cycle is going to look like in material and personnel. I think at the end of this tournament we will have a good idea who is going to Australia (on Wales’ summer tour) and then going into the autumn.”

Elsewhere, Wales captain Dafydd Jenkins has been switched from lock to blindside flanker, with Will Rowlands called up as Adam Beard’s second-row partner, while hooker Ryan Elias replaces Elliot Dee.

It will be Jenkins’ first appearance in the number six shirt for club or country, and he takes over from Alex Mann.

Rowlands missed Wales’ opening Six Nations appointment with Scotland after his partner gave birth, and he then featured off the bench in defeats to England and Ireland.

Mann is among the replacements, where his colleagues include fellow Cardiff forward Mackenzie Martin, 49 times-capped Dee and Scarlets scrum-half Gareth Davies.

“I don’t think it is a risk with Daf at six,” Forshaw said. “He is around two very smart back-rowers.

“Will Rowlands played 70 minutes on the weekend in Paris (for his club Racing 92). I saw glimpses of him getting back to his best. I think it is a good fit for us this week.”

Scotland centre Huw Jones revealed he was “tempted” by the prospect of a move to France but he ultimately felt that remaining with buoyant Glasgow was the right decision for his career overall.

The on-form 30-year-old was the subject of recent interest from Top 14 side Montpellier and was also linked with Bayonne.

However, he ended speculation about his future last week by signing a new two-year deal to commit his future to Warriors until 2026.

Jones, whose partner is expecting a baby at the start of April, admitted the prospect of following Scotland colleagues Blair Kinghorn and Ben White to France did hold some appeal.

“I’ve said in the past that I’d be open to a move to France, so, yeah, it was certainly tempting,” he said, speaking from the Scotland camp ahead of Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations match away to Italy.

“Like you do with all big decisions, you’ve got to weigh up the pros and cons and all that and I think when it came down to it, it was a rugby decision.

“I thought it would be a shame to pass up what’s happening at Glasgow at the moment. I think since (head coach) Franco (Smith) came in, since I came back to the club (from Harlequins in 2022), I’ve seen a real growth in the squad.

“The way we train, the way we play, I think we’re getting better and better. I think we’ve got a real momentum at the moment and I want to stay part of that.

“We’ve obviously got a baby on the way in the next couple of weeks, we’re pretty settled in Glasgow, we’ve got loads of friends around and my family live just outside Edinburgh, so it’s nice to be staying put.”

Jones will be without his trusty centre partner Sione Tuipulotu for the remainder of the Six Nations after his Glasgow team-mate sustained a knee injury in the win over England a week past Saturday.

Bath’s Cam Redpath is expected to slot in alongside Jones in Rome, although Glasgow’s Stafford McDowall and Northampton’s Rory Hutchinson are other contenders.

“I think we’ve got great depth throughout the squad but definitely at centre,” said Jones.

“I’m gutted for my mate (Sione), but Cam, Hutch and Staff are all really good players. They’ve all played well this season and I think we’re blessed in that position right now.

“Losing Sione isn’t great but with the guys who are able to step up, we can have confidence in them.”

Scotland have won two of their opening three championship matches but their controversial home defeat by France – when they were denied what appeared to be a legitimate late match-winning try – has left them with only a slim chance of catching leaders Ireland over the course of the last two matches.

A rare second-place finish still appears to be well within their grasp, however.

“If Ireland take it out of our hands (by beating England on Saturday), so be it,” said Jones. “We’ve got to focus on what we can control and this weekend we’ve got a massive game, Italy away. They’ll be up for it, they’ve improved.

“Last season was a close game against them and we were at home.

“They’re a threat to what we want to achieve so we’ve got to go there with the mindset of putting together our best performance of the championship so far.

“Against Wales, we just had a good first half and probably the last five minutes. France, again, we probably could have managed it better.

“England was a positive step forward but I think we should be looking to have our best performance now because we’re going to need it.”

Wales will field a new centre partnership of Joe Roberts and Owen Watkin in Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations clash against France.

They take over from established midfield pairing George North and Nick Tompkins, who have 155 caps between them, at the Principality Stadium.

It will be Llanelli centre Roberts’ first Six Nations start after making his Test debut against England last summer in a World Cup warm-up match.

Elsewhere, Wales captain Dafydd Jenkins has been switched from lock to blindside flanker, with Will Rowlands called up as Adam Beard’s second-row partner, while hooker Ryan Elias replaces Elliot Dee.

Pete Horne has given an insight into the driven mindset of record-chasing Scotland wing Duhan Van Der Merwe ahead of the Guinness Six Nations showdown with Italy in Rome.

The 28-year-old’s match-defining hat-trick against England a week past Saturday took him to 26 international touchdowns, within one of Stuart Hogg at the top of the Scots’ list of all-time try-scorers.

Van Der Merwe could equal or break the record if he crosses the whitewash at the Stadio Olimpico this weekend.

But assistant coach Horne revealed how the combative wing returned to camp last Thursday – just five days after his Calcutta Cup heroics – and immediately wanted to start working on becoming stronger in contact and not getting turned over as often.

“He just showed against England how much quality he’s got,” said Horne.

“The match before (against France), I think he was a little bit disappointed that he hadn’t broken a tackle for the first time in his life.

“It just shows the manner of him as he saw that almost as a challenge and he was outstanding against England.

“I love Duhi’s character. I probably underestimated how much of a student of the game he is before I came in (as a coach).

“I love working with him because he’s always looking for little bits to work on.

“The first thing he said to me was, ‘We need to catch up. I need to work on when defenders are soaking on me I keep getting reefed because I’ve got nobody to bump’.

“He’s scored three tries, got man of the match and that was the first thing he’s come out with when we came in last Thursday. He’s got a real growth mindset around his game. He’s constantly looking at ways to get better.

“I think it’s only a matter of time before he scores another couple and gets that record for himself.”

Scotland have lost influential centre Sione Tuipulotu for the remainder of the Six Nations due to a knee injury sustained against England, with Bath’s Cam Redpath expected to deputise in Rome.

“Cam was outstanding off the bench against England,” said Horne. “He’s been pushing the boys who have been starting really hard and has been pushing for an opportunity for a long time.

“He was so well prepped and performed so well after having to come on early in the game. I was so chuffed for him.

“Cam’s having a great season. He and Finn are going really well together at Bath. Speaking to their coaches, I know Cam is very highly regarded there.

“He’s just got something about him. He’s a Test match animal and he’s got real X Factor. If he gets the nod this weekend, we’ll all be really excited to see him play.”

Scotland are currently second in the Six Nations table after winning two of their three matches so far, but they would need a favour from England against Ireland on Saturday in order to take their title bid to a last-weekend showdown in Dublin.

“We’re not talking too much about any of that,” said Horne. “We’ve spent the whole week talking about controlling everything that is in our power.

“We need to do a professional job this weekend, go over there and beat Italy. That’s all we are focused on.

“We’re pretty happy with where we’re at. We feel like the tweaks to our game, the way we’ve evolved since the World Cup, have been good.

“We’re right in the mix and we should be three from three (after what would have been a match-winning try against France was controversially disallowed).

“We can’t be disappointed with that but we definitely feel that we’ve left a lot of opportunities out there.

“It’s a good place to be where we’re getting some decent results but we’re still not playing quite at our potential.”

Fin Smith is a major doubt for England’s clash with Ireland on Saturday with Marcus Smith ready to step into the breach for the penultimate round of the Guinness Six Nations.

Fin Smith was the solitary member of Steve Borthwick’s squad to miss training on Tuesday as he recovers from a calf injury and with only Thursday’s main session left before the Twickenham showdown, time is running out to prove his fitness.

The 21-year-old fly-half has won his first two caps in his breakthrough season for England, coming on as a replacement for George Ford against Italy and Scotland, but could now slip out of the 23.

“We have tried to look after him the last couple of days and we are hoping he will be in full training on Thursday. We are looking after him,” skills and kicking coach Kevin Sinfield said.

If Fin Smith is unable to convince Borthwick on Thursday that he is capable of facing Grand Slam-chasing Ireland, Marcus Smith is available to take his place on the bench.

The Harlequins player missed the first three rounds of the tournament, also because of calf damage, but could even challenge Ford for a place in the starting XV if Borthwick decides significant changes are needed in response to the 30-21 mauling by Scotland.

“Fly-half is a position where we have plenty of strength so Steve will make that call on Thursday after the session. If everyone comes through on Thursday, Steve has obviously got a headache,” Sinfield said.

“To have Marcus available having not had him available throughout the Six Nations is a big boost for everybody.

“Not only with what he brings on the field, but off the field as well. He has got some bounce about him, a big smile and he loves being out on the training field. He has had a big impact this week.

“He comes in and is himself all the time so we missed him in those first few weeks. I’ve loved working with him and he’s an incredible talent. He can play, that boy.”

Borthwick names his team on Thursday afternoon and England’s head coach will be hoping for a response after the backwards step taken at Murrayfield.

The most damning statistic to emerge from a fourth successive Calcutta Cup defeat was the 25 handling errors made, a staggering number that prevented their attack from functioning.

“That was an anomaly for us. We certainly haven’t seen that throughout training at all,” Sinfield said.

“We’ve worked particularly hard in trying to understand why it happened. Some of it is difficult to understand.

“When you’re trying to understand why someone’s dropped a ball, or someone’s thrown a pass without looking where the pass is going, there’s a bit more to it than the numbers.

“We’re trying to understand the people, what they are feeling and what they are seeing at that moment in time. So we’ve delved pretty deep into that.

“We put some balls down in the Scotland game, why that is we’ll never know for sure. But what we have to try to make sure is that it doesn’t happen again.”

Garry Ringrose, Hugo Keenan, Iain Henderson and Oli Jager are in contention for Ireland’s Guinness Six Nations clash with England after training on Tuesday.

Leinster centre Ringrose is yet to feature in this year’s championship because of a shoulder injury.

Full-back Keenan and lock Henderson missed the round-three win over Wales due to a knee issue and a dislocated toe respectively.

Munster prop Jager made his Test debut as a replacement in that 31-7 success on February 24 before sustaining a knee problem.

Grand Slam-chasing Ireland, who play at Twickenham on Saturday before completing their campaign at home to Scotland seven days later, reported a clean bill of health ahead of holding a more physical training session on Wednesday.

“We were all on the field today, it was great,” scrum coach John Fogarty told reporters.

“Garry and Hugo, Hendy, all trained today, Oli as well.

 

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“So, yeah, it’s such an important day for us to be on the field. A healthy squad training today is important for selection and it was great they were all on the field.”

Ciaran Frawley deputised for Keenan against Wales and marked his first international start with one of four tries for Andy Farrell’s side.

Asked about the progress of Ireland’s first-choice number 15, Fogarty said: “Well, he trained today.

“Again, they are on the road to recovery, training on the field today live was important for them. We’ll see how they got through the session.

“We’ve another session tomorrow, which is the most physical session of the week where we’ll properly test our plan and the players so we’ll see how he gets through tomorrow and then Andy will select his side.

“(Today) it’s full speed, there’s no huge contact in it, it’s kind of a coaching day.

“Monday is forming a plan, Tuesday we put it on the field and we’ll see the timings of our launch plays and how our defence works, and tomorrow we’ll test that full contact.

“We want to get as live as possible, ready for what’s going to be a huge test in Twickenham.”

Former England captain Sarah Hunter has hailed World Rugby’s high performance academy as a “brilliant initiative” for the women’s game.

Hunter was among 16 aspiring female coaches to emerge through the inaugural programme last year, which saw them being embedded with their respective nations before and during the WXV tournament in New Zealand.

There were also a series of online and in-person workshops that apart from rugby also looked at areas such as cultural elements, building relationships and campaign planning.

Hunter is now part of England’s coaching team preparing for the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, which kicks off on March 23.

And World Rugby has a target of seeing women make up a minimum 40 per cent of all coaches involved at the England-hosted 2025 World Cup that sees Twickenham staging the final.

Year two of the Gallagher High Performance Academy will feature 10 sevens coaches, including Saracens full-back Sarah McKenna and Leinster wing Emily McKeown, participating in a programme now extended to all formats of the women’s game.

“Having been part of it, World Rugby and Gallagher have brought to life what they said they wanted to do,” Hunter told the PA news agency.

“It is a brilliant initiative, one that has been about making really positive change and immersing coaches within high performance teams.”

Hunter retired from playing in 2023 after winning a world record 141 caps. She led England to World Cup glory in 2014 and was named women’s world player of the year two years later.

“The last six years of my playing career I was player-coach at Loughborough Lightning, where I looked after the forwards, so I have always had a real passion to try and help people get better,” she added.

“I was probably teeing myself up for some kind of coaching job, but I had no idea it would be the role I am currently doing.

“Having been a very recent former player, I’ve got a good understanding of how players want to be coached because I’ve heard many a time about what was right, what was wrong, what could be better, so I’ve tried to remember that.

“The game has changed significantly, and it is about having opportunities for females. It is such an exciting time for the game, so let’s be really ambitious, keep setting targets.

“Knowing the talent that is out there and having sat as part of the high performance academy, their knowledge of the game is incredible. These people can make a significant difference to their teams.

“A lot of the players have an interest in coaching, and if we are creating more opportunities we are going to be keeping more great people within the game. Hopefully, people can see the impact the academy is having.”

Jo Yapp, who had a 12-year England playing career, recently became the first female head coach of Australia’s women’s rugby union team, and it is that level of progression Hunter believes the academy can help underpin.

“Hopefully, the way in which the academy works, the major outcome goal with that is to transition those candidates who are on it in to those coaching roles,” she said.

“We have already seen something like a 20 per cent uplift of people going into coaching roles in different unions, and it is really important to have ambitious targets.

“It means people have to make change and people have to be seen to be making change, so it puts pressure on governing bodies around the world. Let’s set the bar high and let’s strive for it.

“What would be brilliant is almost changing perception. We’ve got brilliant female coaches out there around the world and they probably just need a bit of a nudge of ‘right, you’re in’. And when they are in, people see how good they are.”

Marcus Smith and Alex Mitchell have returned to the England squad ahead of Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash with Ireland.

Harlequins fly-half Smith is yet to feature in this year’s championship due to a calf issue, while Northampton scrum-half Mitchell twisted his knee in training after starting the victories over Italy and Wales.

The pair linked up with head coach Steve Borthwick’s group last week for a three-day training camp in York ahead of the final two rounds of the Six Nations, and were on Sunday evening named in a 36-man squad to face Grand Slam-chasing Ireland at Twickenham.

Exeter wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who scored a try as a replacement in Saturday’s 30-21 Calcutta Cup loss to Scotland, has also been included after missing the training camp due to having a medical exam at Exeter University which had to be completed face to face.

England, who must beat Andy Farrell’s reigning champions to remain in title contention, conclude the tournament against France in Lyon on March 16.

Chandler Cunningham-South is relishing every minute of the Six Nations maelstrom as he prepares to play a part in England’s daunting clash with back-to-back Grand Slam chasers Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday.

Cunningham-South’s gamble in leaving New Zealand, where he had lived since the age of four, to return to the UK two years ago has paid off handsomely with his ascendancy to the full England squad for the first time this year.

His debut off the bench in the opening win over Italy, and subsequent appearances against both Wales and Scotland, have appeared to make the Harlequins flanker an integral part of head coach Steve Borthwick’s long-term plans.

“It has been a really big step up for me and I think I have done all right,” said Cunningham-South. “I think I am the youngest in the squad and I have been taken under a few people’s wings.

“I like it. Especially when we were up in Edinburgh getting off the bus – all the heckling and yelling. That sort of stuff motivates me and gives me an extra bit of energy.

“Twickenham is awesome to play at. You don’t actually realise how big the stadium is until you are on the field looking up. It seems to not stop. It was awesome – so loud, so passionate, a real cool place to play.”

Cunningham-South, who was born in Sidcup, decided to head back over to England to pursue his rugby career after finding his opportunities limited in New Zealand.

But he admits he had big moments of doubt after arriving in the midst of the Covid pandemic and finding himself struck down with the illness more or less immediately.

“I got the opportunity over in England and it all happened pretty quickly,” he added. “It was a weird time because I was stuck inside for 18 days with Covid and I was like, ‘Did I make the right decision?’ But once I had got rid of the Covid and got into training I knew I had done.

“I suppose it’s not meant to be easy. Moving over at that age I was a little homesick at first, but when you are working hard and having fun with new friends it gets pushed to the back of your head and I have been loving every minute of it.”

Cunningham-South initially joined the London Irish academy in 2022, representing England in the under-20 Six Nations in the same year, before moving on to Harlequins when Irish folded due to financial issues.

His swift ascent up the England ranks was confirmed when he came off the bench in the narrow opening win over Italy and Cunningham-South believes he is beginning to reap the benefits of his big career decision.

“I needed to develop a lot and that’s why I wanted to be a part of an academy set-up,” he added.

“And there was a definite mindset switch – what it takes to be a professional is very different to when you are playing uni rugby. I didn’t realise how much detail goes into the professional game. It was a bit of a shock, but it’s been good.”

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