Borthwick urges Max Ojomoh to pair skill with physicality ahead of Japan match

England head coach Steve Borthwick has challenged centre Max Ojomoh to pair his talent with sustained physicality in England's match against Japan on Saturday, 14 November. Borthwick set that demand ahead of the game as Ojomoh returns to the number 12 shirt.

Ojomoh scored a try in England's 27-23 win over Argentina at the end of 2025 and earned man-of-the-match plaudits, but he has not played for his country in the 12 months since. The Bath centre was initially omitted from Borthwick's wider training squad before starring for the 'A' team and being recalled to the England number 12 role, putting him back in World Cup contention. Two-cap Ojomoh will line up alongside cap centurion George Ford, who returns to the number 10 shirt for the first time since the Six Nations.

Borthwick praised Ojomoh's natural ability and stressed the changing demands of the centre position. "Max is one of the most talented players in English rugby," he told BBC Sport. "His ability to see space and distribute, to hide where he is going to pass and to pass short or long, that's a rare skill."

Borthwick said modern centres must combine skill with aggressive, high-output defensive and ruck work. "You have to be incredibly skilled in that position, but it demands a skill and toughness it previously probably didn't," he explained. "It used to be a second receiver, that second pair of eyes, the distribution skills and the potential kicking skills."

He set out further specifics of the role's evolution and reiterated his expectations for Ojomoh this weekend. "Now they've got to hit and they've got to run in attack and they've got to run in defence, and our centres are involved in a lot of rucks in wider channels. "Can they get the ball back? And can they tackle with impact to get the ball back? So when I'm talking about centres, I want the incredible skill and I want the incredible toughness. "And I am full of belief that Max will go and deliver that this weekend."

George Ford described his tactical priority as supplying England's top athletes with ball in space and named specific team-mates he wants to find. "You can pick attack to pieces at times and say, 'I want this running line and I want you to stand here', but, essentially, if you're getting the ball in Tommy Freeman's hands and Manny Feyi-Waboso's hands and Will Joseph's hands and Cadan Murley's hands in space, on a massive field like Twickenham, and it's one-on-one or two-on-two, then that gets your attack going. So you can simplify it," Ford said. "How many times can we get the ball in Will Joseph's hands this week? I want him to have double-figure touches. Same with Cadan, same with Max Ojomoh. "When you are analysing, if you just bring it back to the simplest terms, these guys are unbelievable athletes with skill. So what do they need? They need time and space. So how do you get the ball to them in time and space? Just give it to them and let them go."

Selection notes for the Japan game see Ford preferred to Marcus Smith at fly-half, with Fin Smith rested and Marcus Smith expected to be a utility option from the bench. Ford reflected on the ongoing debate over the England number 10 role and the trio of players involved. "It's been like this all my England career. A lot has been spoken about fly-half in particular and who starts. And 12 years ago now when I first came in, it was the same," he said. "Genuinely the three of us, our relationship, the respect we have for each other but how competitive we are as well, is probably the best I've experienced within the England team. "We understand selection is very subjective and Steve will pick a 23 that he thinks is the best formula to win the game. "For the team to succeed, for the team to win, for the team to go and win the Nations Championship or to go and win a World Cup in 12 months' time, it's going to need three high-quality, brilliant 10s who are great people as well. "Fin has been amazing, the way he's played for Northampton, the way he's played for England, he's took it to a new level in his game. "Marcus has started the season like a house on fire when he came back from his injury at Quins and you know what versatility he's got and how he can influence the game. "And hopefully I can add when I am playing, when I'm not playing, maybe in a different kind of way. "So what I'm saying is you get the one who's starting at the weekend, you probably get another one of us who's on the bench, but it's like a three-man job to get the team ready for every week. Of course we want to play, but we are very respectful of the situation."

Pollock is listed to start alongside Ojomoh and Will Joseph in the England backline selected for the game. Saturday 14 November kicks off at 16:40 GMT and the match will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 5 Live, the BBC Sport website and app.