New Faces, New Hope: England's Journey to the 2027 World Cup Begins

England will kick off their rebuilding phase for the 2027 World Cup against Italy in Rome with several new faces introduced. While experienced fly-half George Ford inclusion could be seen as a missed opportunity, coach Steve Borthwick is willing to experiment in other positions. Debutants Ethan Roots and Fraser Dingwall will feature alongside exciting prospects like Fin Smith and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.

Dingwall in particular has a chance to prove himself as a solution at inside centre a position England has struggled to fill since Will Greenwood’s retirement. England must exhibit greater attacking ambition to maintain fan support with new captain Jamie George emphasizing the importance of scoring tries.

Concerns linger over England lack of carrying threats outside of Ben Earl especially with key players like Manu Tuilagi and Ollie Lawrence absent. Meanwhile, Italy under new coach Gonzalo Quesada will look to build on recent improvements and pose a challenge particularly at the start of the Six Nations tournament.