England captain Itoje on bench for Six Nations opener, Arundell named to start

ENGLAND CAPTAIN MARO Itoje will be on the bench for his side’s Six Nations opener at home to Wales on Saturday.

Itoje has been grieving the death of his mother Florence, with Saracens team-mate Jamie George, himself a former England captain, now leading the side out as they seek to make it 12 wins in a row.

Fellow forward Itoje will, however, take over as skipper should he take the field at Twickenham.

Ready for the first test 👊

Head coach Steve Borthwick has named his 23-player match day squad to face Wales in our opening game of the @SixNationsRugby 🌹@O2 | #WearTheRose

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 2, 2026

Henry Arundell will make his first England start since the 2023 World Cup after being named on the left wing in a team announced on Monday, unusually early, by coach Steve Borthwick.

Arundell featured in the bronze final against Argentina two-and-a-half-years ago but became unavailable for England selection when he signed for French club Racing 92 because of a Rugby Football Union rule effectively banning players at non-English clubs from Test duty.

England's Henry Arundell. James Crombie / INPHO

Now at Bath, the 23-year-old flyer made his England comeback as a replacement against Fiji in November.

England 

15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)
14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)
13. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)
12. Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints)
11. Henry Arundell (Bath)
10. George Ford (Sale Sharks)
9. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)

1. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)
2. Jamie George (Saracens – captain)
3. Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers)
4. Alex Coles (Northampton Saints)
5. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers)
6. Guy Pepper (Bath)
7. Sam Underhill (Bath)
8. Ben Earl (Saracens)

Replacements:

• 16. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks)
• 17. Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks)
• 18. Trevor Davison (Northampton Saints)
• 19. Maro Itoje (Saracens)
• 20. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
• 21. Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints)
• 22. Ben Spencer (Bath)
• 23. Marcus Smith (Harlequins)

– © AFP 2026