If, as the saying goes, forwards decide who wins rugby matches and the backs determine by how much, these four men should have a pivotal effect on the final scoreline.
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Read More“We’ve grown up around the scene together,” Dingwall said. “I know him pretty well.”
Described by head coach Steve Borthwick this week as a “glue player” in the backs, he captained Scotland’s under-16s and England’s under-20s, and has been in England senior squads since 2020, but with just two caps – when he featured in a 10-12-13 set-up of George Ford-Dingwall-Slade against Italy and Wales in last year’s Six Nations.
Dingwall said of himself a year ago: “I wouldn’t replicate what Manu [Tuilagi] does, I wouldn’t replicate what Sladey does, I wouldn’t replicate what Ollie [Lawrence] does, and so on.
“If I can be really good with my voice and bringing the best out of other people, that becomes my super-strength – not so much really quick or really powerful.”
Dingwall (left) lifts the Premiership trophy with Lewis Ludlam (Photo: Getty)Accordingly, almost all the clips of Dingwall show his slick passing and smooth sidestep – but if England stick to kicking everything as they did last time out in the 16-15 win over Scotland, we might only see these attributes in unstructured situations such as just after an aerial contest.
That would be a welcome change, and if England keep the ball in hand more often, Dingwall could be a revelation as he dovetails with his fly-half club colleague Fin Smith to bring Lawrence and the outside backs into play. Dingwall passed to Elliot Daly for a try against Wales last year, and scored one himself, both at the left corner.
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Hence, Dingwall said of the pair this week: “I like the way they interchange and bring out each other’s strengths.
Menoncello was on the wing for Italy last time they were at Twickenham (a 31-14 defeat in 2023), and he has the pace you would expect from that position, while Brex is more direct and physical.
Taking a tapped free-kick from a scrum, Brex and fly-half Paolo Garbisi combined, flat to the line, to send Menoncello sprinting through a gap.
“At times, we have looked at games in different ways, to find ways to win, and that’s why you might not have seen as much attacking rugby as normal,” he said.
Dingwall’s go-to song for capping ceremonies and the like is Islands in the Stream. England supporters will hope this new midfield line-up leaves the Azzurri’s dangermen up the Thames without a paddle.
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