Henry Arundell is back on the wing after Tom Roebuck is not considered fit.

The 23-year-old bust onto the international scene with a sensational score against Australia as a 19-year-old.

However, he is yet to nail down a starting spot.

He went to the World Cup in 2023, scoring five tries against Chile, but didn't play in the quarter or semi-final.

A move to France then paused his rise in England.

That move was because of the demise of London Irish. He also said he wanted to improve as a player before returning to England.

Nine tries this season and some sensational form for Bath has forced him back into a starting spot.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty

Maro Itoje told the Times this weekend that he would have struggled to play in the immediate aftermath of his mother Florence's death shortly before Christmas.

The Saracens second row was out for more than a month after the autumn internationals, only making his comeback from a knee injury in a match against Leicester on 4 January.

"It would have been very difficult to have played off the back of the news," he said., external

"It gave me time to grieve. It's been difficult, to be honest. It's been challenging on both the professional and personal front. It's just the paradox of life."

Itoje captained the British and Irish Lions to a series victory in Australia and married his fiancee Mimi last year.

"It's been one of the most joyous, celebratory years of my life; getting married, the Lions, England back to where we think we should be, playing my 200th game for Saracens. So many milestones that were hit.

"But at the same time, my mum was going through it. It wasn't necessarily linear, so she got better, got worse, got better, got worse. We didn't lose hope until the very end. It wasn't easy. There were points throughout the year where I was extremely fatigued from an emotional point of view."

As I mentioned earlier, England have started to opt against starting all their stars.

The last quarter is when most Tests are won.

Tom Curry on the bench weirdly feels normal now after November.

Chris Jones
BBC rugby union correspondent in Girona

I know England have an embarrassment of riches at flanker, but Curry is England's best flanker, and one of the world’s best. Surely he needs to be on the field for as much time as possible?

Hi Charlie. Yes, you would still think that the best players would start, regardless of it being a 23-man game. If there is a World Cup final tomorrow, would England hold Curry back on the bench?

However Guy Pepper had such a brilliant 2025 he deserves to keep the shirt, plus he offers a line-out option in an otherwise short back row. Either way England’s bench on Saturday looks especially strong.

England's last game was a 27-23 win over Argentina in November.

Here is the team from that day.

Replacements: Dan, Baxter, Stuart, Ewels, T Curry, Pollock, Mitchell, M Smith.

Chris Jones
BBC rugby union correspondent in Girona

Is Lawrence considered Borthwick's preferred 13 or has Freeman taken first pick there now? When Lawrence is fit, how does he fit back in if Roebuck and Feyi-Waboso are playing?

Good question Louis! Ultimately I don’t think Borthwick needs to commit either way. The best teams have strength in depth that is two or three deep in every position. But it’ll be really interesting to see what happens when Lawrence returns.

You feel Tommy Freeman always gets in the team somewhere, as long as he stays in form.

Jamie George said he considered ending his England career because of the shock and pain of losing the England captaincy to Maro Itoje before the start of last year's Six Nations.

George succeeded Owen Farrell as England skipper before the 2024 Six Nations.

England won five of 12 Tests under his stewardship.

"I won't lie and say it didn't go through my head [finishing his England career]," he said in 2025.

Image source, Getty Images

Steve Borthwick massively values his bench.

British and Irish Lions duo Tom Curry and Henry Pollock both played big roles off the bench in November.

For Maro Itoje to feel he is ready to still be involved shows his strength in such difficult personal circumstances.

Prior to Fraser Dingwall's third cap last Six Nations, England and Northampton Saints scrum-half Alex Mitchell described his club team-mate as "the glue guy".

The glue guy since then has established himself in England's midfield, scoring a try against New Zealand in November.

"He is like a Rodri at Man City," Mitchell said, referencing the Ballon d'Or-winning midfielder.

"He doesn't always get the great goals or the assists or whatever, but he is a mainstay in your team and does all the great things. He is similar to that.

"He is a quality player, a lot of the time he goes unnoticed because he does his job so well.

"He is like the glue guy - he is fantastic. His talk on the pitch is second to none. He talks you through the game and defensively he is quality. Hopefully we will see some of that [against Italy]."

Image source, Getty Images

Mike Henson
BBC Sport

England will play a Six Nations match without Maro Itoje on the pitch for the first time in seven years after their captain was named on the bench for Saturday's campaign opener against Wales.

Itoje missed the start of England's preparations for the tournament in Girona to attend his mother Florence' funeral in Nigeria.

Itoje has been an ever-present for England in the Six Nations since the start of the 2020, playing all 80 minutes in 30 successive matches.

The 31-year-old was on the bench for England's autumn win over Fiji however.

Chris Jones
BBC rugby union correspondent in Girona

Has Steward locked down the 15 jersey for good now? Seems to be his, with Furbank in the squad and Smith utilised as 23.

Hi Jack. Steward has had a good season and has more than 40 caps so will always be in the mix but I wouldn't say he has locked down the jersey.

Furbank is England's best attacking full-back but has had a tough time with injury recently.

You also have to consider the balance of the backline. England's three best aerial players are Freeman, Roebuck and Steward, and one of them at least needs to be in the back three. So with Freeman at centre and Roebuck not selected, Steward’s aerial game becomes really important.

On Tuesday, Jamie George said England will rally around captain Maro Itoje as he grieves the death of his mother.

Itoje missed a Six Nations launch event in Edinburgh last Monday, having travelled to Nigeria for the funeral.

George's own mother died during the 2024 Six Nations after being diagnosed with lung cancer a few weeks before.

"It's horrible news, I've been through it myself," said George, who plays alongside Itoje at Saracens and has toured with him three times for the British and Irish Lions.

"It's a hugely challenging time for him and a hugely challenging time for his family.

"The way he has carried himself over the last few months has been incredibly impressive. The important thing is that he's been given enough space to mourn and grieve.

"The way he has kept showing up and put the team first in a lot of ways has been incredible.

"I know he'll be wanting to do his family proud over the next short period of time. We're all very proud of him and will be there for him."

Image source, Getty Images

Chris Jones
BBC rugby union correspondent in Girona

What's your read of Itoje on the bench for this one?

Hi Ben. We'll speak to Steve Borthwick shortly to get the lowdown but as you may have read Itoje's mother died recently.

He was in Nigeria for the funeral and then joined the England camp a little bit late as a result. Jamie George represented the team at the Six Nations launch and is the most experienced member of the squad who led the side through 2024.

Itoje will resume the captaincy when he comes off the bench.

Fraser Dingwall and Tommy Freeman may be Northampton Saints team-mates, but their centre partnership is still early in its development.

The pair first played together for England at 12 and 13 in last year’s emphatic SIx Nations victory over Wales, with the partnership then featuring against Australia in November.

Freeman was mainly deployed on the right wing for Northampton last season, but since the autumn he has started four out of his past five games at outside centre.

Dingwall has been at inside centre for two of those games.

Image source, Getty Images

England love to use players in their wrong positions.

Freeman at 13, Smith at full-back, Earl at 12 (could be entertaining) and Farrell at 12.

And famously Jonny May as a flanker.

England Rugby

England head coach Steve Borthwick: "England versus Wales is always a special occasion in the rugby calendar. It's a fierce rivalry with a long history, and one that brings a huge challenge every time we meet,

"We expect Wales to bring a kicking game, so we’ll need to be accurate in how we respond to that challenge. For us, our focus is on executing our game plan and maintaining discipline throughout the match.

"We're excited to get the Championship underway at a packed-out Allianz Stadium. The support we receive at home is outstanding and always gives the players a huge lift."

Northampton pair Tommy Freeman and Fraser Dingwall start together in the midfield, while Henry Arundell is on the wing.