Fin Baxter Injury Forces Steve Borthwick's Six Nations Rethink

“I don’t know in terms of return dates, but he’ll feature during the Six Nations. It’ll just be when.” With props thin on the ground, Borthwick will have to rethink his “Pom Squad” plan from the autumn, when he regularly held back a powerful, experienced bench of six forwards. Ellis Genge would have to start against Wales, if Baxter does not make it, along with Heyes. It is expected that tight-head Trevor Davison, aged 33 with three caps, will be called up from Northampton Saints, then Borthwick must pick between a pair of uncapped options — Vilikesa Sela, the 20-year-old from Bath, and Afolabi Fasogbon from Gloucester, 21, both of whom are raw talents — to bolster his squad. At loose-head, Sale Sharks’ Bevan Rodd, the 25-year-old with ten caps, Beno Obano, from Bath, and Emmanuel Iyogun, the uncapped Northampton prop, will vie for a spot. Borthwick announces his squad for the Six Nations on Friday. Obano, 31, is in fine form for Bath, scoring his sixth try of the season last Friday in the 63-10 win over Edinburgh in the Investec Champions Cup match at the Rec. He has four caps, having struggled to find his feet at Test level since he was first selected for an England squad in 2021. However, he has been a powerful scrummager in a dominant Bath pack this year, scoring regularly from close range too. “Playing for England is always an honour,” Obano said. “You get to represent your country, and play at the highest level, but on the day-to-day level all I’m thinking about is trying to deliver for Bath and these people that care about me, that help me out. I speak to Steve [Borthwick], and England is there, but my focus is always playing well for Bath. It doesn’t hurt [we’re doing well], though.”