New England head coach Steve Borthwick may have been in the job for less than a month, but he's already showing the scale of the task won't deter him from making the tough decisions.
The former Leicester Tigers tactician named his first squad ahead of the 2023 Six Nations on Monday, where a recall for prop Dan Cole after almost three years in the wilderness was among the shock calls. But it was three particularly glaring omissions that led Sky Sports' James Cole to suggest Borthwick isn't hanging about to make his own imprint on an England side that stagnated under predecessor Eddie Jones.
"The omission of Jack Nowell, Billy Vunipola and Jonny May—three regulars under Eddie Jones—is a clear sign of Steve Borthwick looking to put his stamp on this England squad," said Cole during Monday's report outside Twickenham. "As is the inclusion of 95-cap veteran prop Dan Cole, whose international career appeared to be over.
