Shortly after England flew here from their distant base in northern France ahead of a seismic World Cup opener, Steve Borthwick calmly explained the selections that sparked a storm of debate at home.
The national coach was in a defiant mood; about his team’s chances against Argentina and also about the players he had chosen for that difficult assignment. Alex Mitchell at scrum half and Jonny May on the wing had both come from outside the original tournament squad of 33 to earn a place in the XV. Dan Cole as another starter, at age 36. These were the calls that were debated, dissected and widely questioned.
But after a training phase full of intensity and renewed purpose in verdant Le Touquet, on the English Channel, Borthwick arrived here with the focused gaze of a man of personal conviction – unfazed by the persistent ‘noise from outside’. So he talked it all through, without fuss or fuss.
The inclusion of Mitchell meant he had moved up from fourth-choice scrum half originally, when the World Cup squad was named in early August, to become the man entrusted with the number 9 shirt against the mighty Pumas.
Borthwick revealed that Northampton livewire’s standout efforts in a losing case against Fiji at Twickenham on 26 August had earned him a selection ahead of Ben Youngs and Danny Care, with the latter acting as an understudy on the bench.
England coach Steve Borthwick has explained his selection for his team’s World Cup opener
Both Alex Mitchell (L) and Jonny May (R) will compete in the starting XV against Argentina
“It’s not what other people don’t bring,” said the head coach. “Everyone brings strength to the team, but at scrum half we have a lot of depth. To start this game, Mitch brings what’s good for this team and the combinations we have.
“He was a dangerous walking threat (relative to Fiji). Everyone knows he is a dangerous walking threat. Danny Care and Ben Youngs bring all kinds of power and for me every week is about picking the best two scrum halves to get the job done that week.
Mitch deserves a huge amount of credit as he was incredibly disappointed not to be on the original roster. Every player I spoke to at that point I asked to leave and make sure they were ready to be the next guy. An opportunity presented itself. One of the positives that came out of that Fiji game was his performance. I thought he played well and trained exceptionally well. He was ready to go.’
May, the seasoned Gloucester winger, is someone at the other end of the international experience spectrum, but in the same selection category as Mitchell – having come from outside 33 to get into the first pick. He too succeeded by auditioning well amid the rubble of England’s collapse against their last opponents from the South Pacific.
“Jonny’s daily preparation is an example to all,” said Borthwick, who confirmed newcomer wing sensation Henry Arundell was fully fit and available for selection here. ‘He’s been fantastic. Every training day he fought hard. I couldn’t ask for more from him in terms of what he has done, he has been exemplary in that regard, to his credit.
“Jonny did every training with us and then got into that Fijian game. I was talking about Mitch’s performance and Jonny’s performance was also very good. He has earned his selection.’
At tighthead prop, the era of Kyle Sinckler’s superiority appears to be coming to an end, despite claims from England management that he has had limited training load due to a nagging injury problem. Cole has been chosen to start as a bulwark against the giant Argentine peloton, almost four years after his grim ordeal in the last World Cup final at the hands of the Springboks.
Borthwick confirmed that the highly rated Henry Arundell (above) will be available to play
The England boss stressed that he is not focusing on the “outside noise” ahead of the game
“I think it says a lot about his character and a lot about him as a person,” said Borthwick, who re-energized Cole when he came to Leicester and gave the club a new face.
‘He’s been fantastic. He is one of those wise heads. Time seems to stand still when he speaks. He has wisdom to share from all the Test matches he’s played.’
Despite his chronic lack of recent playing time, Tom Curry’s recall to the starting squad was a much less controversial decision. England have sorely missed Sale’s flanker dynamo, which has been identified as the missing piece in the malfunctioning Red Rose defence.
Borthwick spoke of the 25-year-old’s ‘fantastic physical condition’ following his recovery from an ankle injury that saw him miss all warm-up matches. It happened when he fell awkwardly out of a lineout during practice. Curry had also missed the Six Nations due to injury so is desperate to make his first appearance of the year too late.
Dan Cole hopes to make a big impact on Saturday when he starts against Argentina
“I feel like I’ve been preparing for this for a while, in terms of… I did my hamstring, came back, did my hamstring, came back, did my hamstring,” he said, after recovering from his last setback discussed. . “So I think I’ve practiced well coming back from injury and put myself in a good place for this game. I have trained well and feel confident.
“The emotion is great. At the first game at a World Cup, emotions will be high: we are an extremely passionate England team. When you go into this match, as we have been training for the past week, you can feel it building up and that’s pretty special.
“You just want to get out there and get to work. First World Cup game, Marseille, a great place, when you’re playing against a great team, there’s nowhere else you’d rather be. I can’t wait to take that step and I can’t wait to do it with everyone else.”
When asked if he believes England can deliver a remarkable performance and result with their backs against the wall, Curry’s answer was emphatic. ‘Yes. Yes. It’s hard because you can’t write it down, but it’s a feeling. I think Saturday will be fun.’