England Six Nations squad announcement live: Latest updates as Steve Borthwick makes big calls – UK Times

The chuckle that spread through the Saracens onlookers told the story. It was about 10 minutes in to a gripping, gruelling Investec Champions Cup tie when a scuffle erupted near Toulouse’s 22, with players from both sides rushing in to join the fracas.

The tension was soon defused by the sight of one burly back-rower with another in a headlock – while usually a cause for escalation, here it was greeted with mirth given the identity of the two men involved.

Tom Willis released his grip eventually; sibling Jack responded with a brotherly shove. It might have been a scene the pair shared in formative days in their Reading backyard, but it served to encapsulate a significant win for Saracens – Willis the younger outdoing, just about, his bigger brother on a wretched night in north London.

One could entertain an argument that the Willis brothers were the two best players on the pitch. They were the sort of performances that would usually be assessed in a context of what is to come with the Six Nations near but it is certain that when Steve Borthwick won’t include a Willis.

Jack has been unavailable to the head coach since extending his stay at Toulouse in the wake of an injury-curtailed 2023 World Cup campaign in which he was little more than a bit-part figure, while Borthwick has decided not to pick Tom after his decision to leave the Prem at the end of the season – despite the No 8 possessing one of the 25 enhanced EPS contracts.

England fly half Fin Smith has emerged as a doubt for the start of the Six Nations after sustaining a calf injury.

Smith was a late withdrawal from Northampton Saints’s defeat to Bordeaux Begles in the Investec Champions Cup earlier this month and then missed their final pool fixture against the Scarlets on Sunday.

The 23-year-old is a real doubt for England’s opener against Wales.

“We’re still waiting to see how long that is from a scan point of view,” said Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson.

“It’s probably minimum two weeks, but with a muscle injury it’s hard to give a timeline beyond that. It’s not months and months and he’s not going to be back this weekend, so somewhere in between that.”

Here’s how the Six Nations fixtures stack up for England this year.

It’s three away games and two at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

Saturday 7 February: England vs Wales (4.40pm, Twickenham)

Saturday 14 February: Scotland vs England (4.40pm, Edinburgh)

Saturday 21 February: England vs Ireland (2.10pm, Twickenham)

Saturday 7 March: Italy vs England (4.40pm, Rome)

Saturday 14 March: France vs England (8.10pm, Paris)

Let’s start with a bit of a primer. There’s decisions aplenty for Steve Borthwick and his coaching staff.

Our Rugby Correspondent, Harry Latham-Coyle, has run through the five biggest questions:

Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of England’s Six Nations squad announcement. Steve Borthwick names his group for the 2026 championship with plenty of fascinating storylines to follow.

Stick with us for all the info.