Borthwick rips up centre pairing after injury rules Lawrence out of Pumas Test

England will change their midfield combination for the ninth straight game after Ollie Lawrence was ruled out of the final Quilter Nations Series match against Argentina with a hamstring injury.

Lawrence limped off in the closing stages of the 33-19 win against New Zealand after a fine individual performance, scoring the opening try of England’s 10th consecutive victory. There were further casualties in that match with hooker Jamie George also sustaining a hamstring injury while winger Tom Roebuck aggravated an existing foot injury.

Second row Ollie Chessum and versatile back Tommy Freeman had already been ruled out of the match with Argentina as injuries continue to mount, although there is a squad recall for uncapped winger Noah Caluori who had been released to play for England A.

Lawrence had only recently recovered from an Achilles injury he suffered against Italy in the Six Nations which ruled him out of the British and Irish Lions tour. His performance at outside centre in tandem with Fraser Dingwall had provided hope that Borthwick may have found a long-term centre pairing, however the head coach will now be forced to change to mix his midfield up once again.

England have not retained the same 10-12-13 combination since the third round of this year’s Six Nations when Fin Smith, Henry Slade and Lawrence retained their places from the 26-25 win against France. Some of that has been by Borthwick’s design but often it has been the product of circumstance, whether injury or the unavailability of players on the tour to Argentina.

Elliot Daly or fellow forgotten man Slade could be in line for a recall. Daly was widely believed to have been pencilled in to be England’s starting full-back at the start of the autumn campaign but has not yet featured as he recovers from a fractured left arm. Borthwick confirmed last week that he was available for selection but felt it was too soon to rush him back against New Zealand.

Slade, meanwhile, has not featured for England since the 35-12 victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires. Despite being in sparkling form for Exeter Chiefs this season, the 32-year-old has fallen down the pecking order for England but remains an experienced and classy operator.

Bath’s Max Ojomoh, who started against the USA, is the other specialist centre option in the squad, unless Borthwick wants to become really radical by pressing either back-rower Ben Earl or wing Cadan Murley into action there.

However, there was good news for Borthwick that full back Freddie Steward will be available after passing the head injury assessment (HIA) stages 2 and 3 having failed HIA stage 1 that caused his permanent removal against New Zealand.

How did each midfield combination fare?

Analysis

George Ford, Fraser Dingwall, Ollie Lawrence (v New Zealand)

A day where everything seemed to click into place. Ford guided the team around the pitch, Dingwall facilitated and Lawrence was at his bustling bust. Significantly, both Dingwall and Lawrence scored tries from strike moves.

Result: England 33 New Zealand 19

Fin Smith, Fraser Dingwall, Ollie Lawrence (v Fiji)

Against Italy, the combination never had a chance to settle as Lawrence suffered his achilles injury. Fiji was his his first game back for England and it showed with a few clunky moments between the 10-12-13 combination.

Result: England 30 Fiji 24

George Ford, Fraser Dingwall, Tommy Freeman (v Australia)

Inevitably everything in attack was a bit rusty as the first game of the campaign and Dingwall threw a horrible intercept. Freeman still looked like a winger in a 13 shirt but feels like Borthwick will come back to this combination.

Result: England 25 Australia 7

George Ford, Max Ojomoh, Luke Northmore (v USA)

The big caveat is that this was against frankly substandard opposition with added lightning breaks, however Ojomoh looked a million dollars on his debut in the American capital.

Result: England 40 USA 5

George Ford, Seb Atkinson, Luke Northmore (v Argentina, second Test)

The highlight of England’s summer tour, Ford pulled strings, Atkinson delivered a breakout performance and Northmore glided much as he does for Quins. Atkinson propelled himself to the front of the queue for the No 12 shirt until injury struck.

Result: England 22 Argentina 17

George Ford, Seb Atkinson, Henry Slade (v Argentina, first Test)

England were on the back foot for large parts in La Plata but the midfield held firm with Atkinson finishing with 21 tackles. On the front foot, Slade was less than impressive and he has not featured since.

Result: England 35 Argentina 12

Fin Smith, Fraser Dingwall, Tommy Freeman (v Wales)

It was no surprise that the Northampton trio instantly clicked in international colours. All three shone in a rampaging 68-14 win with Dingwall enjoying a breakout game.

Result: England 68 Wales 14

Fin Smith, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence (v Scotland, v France)

Slade and Lawrence is much better in theory than it is in practice, especially as both are more suited to the outside centre slot. Would be a surprise if this combination is reprised in future.

Results: England, 16 Scotland 15 & England 26 France 25

Marcus Smith, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence (v Ireland)

Marcus Smith’s last start in the No 10 shirt and perhaps not coincidentally their last defeat with this combination. Lawrence impressed in flashes but Smith and Slade could not wrestle back momentum from Ireland.

Result: England 22 Ireland 27

[Source: Daily Telegraph]