England squad player ratings from Six Nations: Ben Earl emerges as colossus
England’s Six Nations campaign ended on a positive note after strong performances against Ireland and France.
Steve Borthwick faces a number of personnel decisions going forward as he continues to evolve his squad.
Telegraph Sport assesses how each player used by England in the Six Nations fared.
Freddie Steward
A strange campaign for a world-class full-back. A stand-out while England stuttered, Steward found himself victim of the team’s new approach. 7/10
George Furbank
The odd (forgivable) error here and there, but Furbank showed enough in attack to suggest he should be stuck with. 7/10
Tommy Freeman
Emerged as a real force. Not only threatening with the ball but he is in tune with the nuts and bolts, too. 8/10
Elliot Daly
At times a liability, is it time for England to move on? Perhaps, but Daly’s aerial prowess is unquestionable. 6/10
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
No one expected to have such an impact on English rugby. A mainstay - almost an automatic selection; touching world class. 8/10
Feyi-Waboso will make his first England start when they host Ireland in the Six Nations 🏴
Will he be able to add to his try tally? 🏉#ITVRugby | #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/FKNxwzy91p— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) March 8, 2024
Henry Slade
The toughest England player to rate. When it was all going well, Slade was at the heart; but when it went badly he was, too. 7/10
Fraser Dingwall
Aside from one glaring missed tackle against Italy, Dingwall was a paradigm of solidity in his two appearances, but is that enough? 6/10
Ollie Lawrence
The less said about Murrayfield the better, but the problems he caused Ireland and France showed the value to his side. 7/10
Manu Tuilagi
If Lyon was to be his swansong, the veteran centre did nothing to let his side down in his one appearance. 6/10
George Ford
Under huge pressure from the pair of Smiths, Ford proved that he is as much a part of England’s future as that pair. 8/10
Fin Smith
With all the talk of his namesake, Fin emerged not as a man for the future but one for now. The battle for No 10 will be gripping. 6/10
Marcus Smith
The hero against Ireland and thrust into the spotlight at full-back against France, Smith showed his absolute best and worst this championship. 7/10
🗣️ "THEY CAN SPIN IT... SMITH!!!" 🌹
ENGLAND HAVE DONE IT - IRELAND DEFEATED!#ITVRugby | #GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/ymScSvfPQT— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) March 9, 2024
Alex Mitchell
A pariah at the start of Borthwick’s reign, the reality is that England miss Mitchell when he does not play. 7/10
Danny Care
Murrayfield hinted that Care’s best days as an England starter might be over but his composure off the bench deserves plaudits. 6/10
Ben Spencer
Just the one appearance off the bench for the Bath scrum-half in a game that was already lost. 6/10
Joe Marler
An Indian summer for the England loosehead, cast aside under Eddie Jones, who did everything expected of him in the championship.7/10
Ellis Genge
Once fit, Genge was the pick of England’s front-row forwards. Scrummaged like a titan against Furlong and Atonio and his carrying is unquestionable. 7/10
Beno Obano
A solitary appearance off the bench against Italy for the highly-rated loosehead, Obano remains one to watch. 6/10
Jamie George
Pound for pound his spot is under threat but it would be remiss to not salute his leadership as part of England’s rejuvenation.7/10
Theo Dan
If his line-out arrows were as accurate and assured as the captain’s, the bundle of energy would be a shoo-in to start.7/10
Dan Cole
It ain’t pretty, but if Cole remains this effective at the fundamentals then Ben Youngs’s cap record could be under threat.7/10
Will Stuart
Made the bench spot his own but has never quite translated his Bath form to Tests. New Zealand could be make or break. 6/10
Maro Itoje
As ever, there were iconic Itoje moments but there were also a handful - mainly against Scotland and France - which he’d rather forget. 7/10
Ollie Chessum
With Martin present, there was less pressure on Chessum to be destructive in the tight – so he wrecked in the loose instead.8/10
George Martin
Remarkably, the most important man in England’s future. Get those knees iced, George; they’ll be needed for years to come.8/10
Alex Coles
A cumulative 15 minutes of action, but it is telling that England opted for no lock replacement in their final two matches. 6/10
Ethan Roots
A debut to remember and there are certainly no doubts about his ability to step up at Test level. 7/10
Sam Underhill
Not only did Underhill return to his modus operandi of hitting everything very hard, there were some cerebral touches, too. 7/10
Chandler Cunningham-South
One of the finds of the championship, providing real impetus off the bench, a calf injury cruelly robbing him of a tilt against France. 7/10
Alex Dombrandt
There would not have been much surprise had the No 8 never worn an England shirt again. As it was, Dombrandt did himself proud. 7/10
Ben Earl
A colossus even when England were faltering. When they were rocking and rolling, Earl’s lead vocals hit new heights. 9/10
BEN EARL POWERS OVER FOR ENGLAND! 💪🌹
There's no stopping him from there.#ITVRugby | #GuinnessM6N | @premrugby | @Saracens pic.twitter.com/nMOOzINUlY— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) March 9, 2024