By our reckoning, Dan Cole could become the oldest player in Six Nations history if he features for England in the tournament this winter.
The Leicester man will turn 38 in May, which means that he will surpass the previous record set by Simon Shaw of 37 years and 199 days.
Cole could form part of a Midlands-heavy squad selected by Steve Borthwick, with two stars from the Northampton Saints also thought to be in his plans.
November to (Not) Remember
England, of course, have plenty of ground to make up after a dismal showing in the 2024 edition of the annual event. That’s why they’ve been eased out in the Six Nations 2025 betting, with defending champions Ireland +150 (6/4) and the prodigiously-talented France +200 (2/1) leading the way.
With rugby betting odds of +320 (16/5), England are there or thereabouts, but according to sportsbooks, are most likely to finish in third place, at least, behind those two protagonists mentioned.
Judging by their form in the autumn internationals, Borthwick’s men are still very much a work in progress. A 59-14 thrashing of Japan, in which Northampton Saints man George Furbank was on the scoresheet, only served to paper over the cracks of three previous consecutive defeats to New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa in November.
The most alarming output of that trio of losses was the sheer number of points conceded: 24 against the Kiwis, 42 versus the Aussies, and a further 29 were shipped against the Springboks. Evidently, Twickenham is not the fortress that it once was, and Borthwick’s experimentation – with new faces coming into the starting fifteen – concluded with a mixed bag of results.
Such uncertainty lends itself to experienced, tried-and-tested campaigners being given the nod for the Six Nations, which is why many pundits are tipping the sprightly Dan Cole to feature in Borthwick’s squad ready for the opener against Ireland on February 1.
The Saints Are Coming
When Borthwick announces his selections for the Six Nations, expect to see a slew of Northampton Saints players in the reckoning. Of them, Furbank seems to have forced his way into the team at full back, having scored a try against Japan and assisted another in the defeat to New Zealand.
The 28-year-old is currently on the treatment table – he fractured an arm playing for the Saints in their Champions Cup campaign in December. He is still expected to play some part in the Six Nations, though this will be dependent on his recovery time.
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Look out too for Northampton centre Fraser Dingwall. Although he didn’t feature in the autumn internationals – he instead captained England A. The 25-year-old’s stock will have ironically risen having not been involved in the senior side’s challenging November fixtures.
Dingwall scored against Wales after making his championship debut in the 2024 Six Nations. His power and aggressive style at centre could be exactly what Borthwick needs after a tough end to the year.
Either way, there’s no doubt that England’s squad will feature a heavy Midlands presence.
Article written by Ben Spencer
