Borthwick Can't Be Accused Of Conservatism After Bold Calls For Cardiff Test

Pick the bones out of that. Four openside flankers in the squad, three fly-halves, just two second-rows and one centre. It does not stop there, with a first start on the wing and a debut in waiting on the bench in Cardiff – a place that has a habit of swallowing up and spitting out fledgling England careers.

- Gerard Meagher

On the back of a six-day turnaround, the easy move was to slot Henry Slade back into midfield for the injured Ollie Lawrence and challenge the other 14 who started the victory against Italy last Sunday to do the same against Wales.

Steve Borthwick has other ideas. England are in with a shot of securing the Six Nations title but, assuming Ireland vent their frustrations against Italy in the first of three games on "Super Saturday", they will need a bonus point to move top of the table before France host Scotland.

"Our aspiration is to win the tournament, that's always been the way we want to go and that's not changed," Borthwick said. "The context of who we're playing against, or where we're playing, is not the most important thing.

"The most important thing is the attitude with which we approach the game and the way we play. I want the team to play this week with bravery and speed on the ball. We want them to play big."

A red rag to a regimental goat perhaps, but the message is clear. Borthwick does not want his side cowed by the Cardiff cauldron, lost in hymns and arias, poleaxed by the Principality's pyrotechnics. He wants England to stamp their authority on Wales and has picked a team accordingly.