Richard Cockerill will leave his role as England forwards coach after the Six Nations, while Richard Wigglesworth and Aled Walters will join Steve Borthwick's team.

Cockerill stepped in as Red Rose interim head coach after Eddie Jones was sacked in December and retained a role on Borthwick's staff following his appointment as the Australian's successor.

The 52-year-old will be on the move when the Six Nations concludes next month, though, after taking up an offer to become forwards coach of Top 14 side Montpellier.

Borthwick removed Matt Proudfoot and Martin Gleeson from their roles as assistants after he took charge as he started a shake-up, bringing Kevin Sinfield with him from Leicester Tigers.

The England head coach has returned to his former employers once again to recruit Wigglesworth and Walters.

Wigglesworth took over as head coach of the Tigers on a temporary basis following Borthwick's departure for the England job.

The former Red Rose fly-half will become an assistant coach under Borthwick at the end of the season, when Walters will take up his new position of head of strength and conditioning, 

Walters was part of the management team that won the 2019 Rugby World Cup with South Africa and will attempt to help England lift the trophy in France this year.

Steve Smith believes a series triumph in India would represent a bigger achievement for Australia than winning the Ashes.

Australia begin a four-match tour of India in Nagpur on Thursday, as they bid to win three successive men's Test series for the first time since doing so between November 2015 and February 2016.

The tourists are under no illusions as to the size of the task awaiting them in India, with their hosts only losing one of their last 15 Tests on home soil against Australia (W11 D3).

Having helped Australia to a crushing 4-0 series win over old rivals England in the last Ashes series in 2021-22, Smith believes a successful tour of India would beat that achievement.

"I think if we could win in India, that'd be bigger than an Ashes series," Smith told cricket.com.au.

"It's a difficult place to win a Test match, let alone a series, so if we were able to topple that mountain, it would be huge."

Team-mate David Warner echoed Smith's thoughts, saying: "Being a part of that last Ashes was fantastic, but to go to India and beat India is the toughest challenge in Test cricket for us.

"I'm really looking forward to the tour, it's always a hard graft and one thing I'm looking forward to is applying myself against the best spinners in the world."

While India have claimed victory in six of their last eight red-ball series against Australia, the tourists enter Thursday's first contest in excellent form, topping the world Test rankings and boasting a collective batting average of 46 since the start of 2022, the best of any team in that time.

Captain Pat Cummins also believes a series win in India would rank among the team's finest achievements, adding: "Winning a series in India is like an away Ashes series, but even more rare.

"I think that really is a career highlight, an era-defining series, if you can win one over there. So that's our opportunity and we can't wait.

Steve Borthwick claims the England team he inherited from Eddie Jones "weren’t good at anything" but says he has seen progress despite defeat to Scotland.

The former Leicester Tigers boss saw his side lose the first game of his tenure in their Six Nations opener, as they were beaten 29-23 at Twickenham.

In a World Cup year, it marked another damning result for England's prospects, with their dismal run during 2022 contributing to the exit of long-term boss Jones.

But now Borthwick, who worked as the Australian's assistant before leaving for Leicester, has given a withering appraisal of the squad left behind by him amid the Scotland post-mortem.

"I've been frank from day one in saying there's a lot of work to do," he told the Guardian. "When I looked at the team in the autumn, when I measured the team and got all the data for the team, we weren't good at anything.

"It was as frank as that. My job is to make sure we get some improvements next week. I have asked the players to play a new way.

"One thing I have got to do here is get the players to believe in themselves, and get the players to bring their strengths to the pitch.

"[I have to] get them to play to the best of themselves, which I don't think we have seen them do for a while. I think you saw an improvement in that regard."

England held a 20-12 lead at one point in London, before a collapse allowed Scotland to sweep to a historic victory against their rivals.

Having brought respected assistant Kevin Sinfield from Leicester to oversee defence, the soft nature of his side's concessions is a sticking point for Borthwick.

With that in mind, however, he felt the team showed spirit to their concessions, adding: "I'd seen a habit with the team of conceding points early and not being able to respond to it.

"We conceded points [against Scotland] and the biggest thing I was looking at was the response. I thought the response was magnificent."

Steve Borthwick warned England must be prepared "go through some pain" after they were beaten by Scotland in his first game in charge at Twickenham on Saturday.

There was no dream start for Borthwick after he replaced the sacked Eddie Jones as Red Rose head coach in December, as Scotland retained the Calcutta Cup with a 29-23 win.

Duhan van der Merwe starred in an entertaining Six Nations clash, scoring a brilliant solo try in the first half and adding a second five minutes from time to give Gregor Townsend's side a bonus-point victory. 

That is three consecutive wins for Scotland over England, who led by eight points early in the second half but were unable to see it out.

Borthwick said: "This is part of the growth of the team.

"We got ourselves in a position when we should have won the Test match in the second half. At 20-12 up, we shouldn't be letting that game get away from us. You have to go through some pain.

"Really good teams would go on and win that.

"We were playing against a Scotland team who have controlled this fixture in recent years. We need to make sure we limit chances and can shut them down."

Borthwick says it is not all doom and gloom after a losing start to his reign.

He added: "We saw some growth, particularly in the attacking side of the game. The game was quicker, but clearly we're disappointed in the result.

"The team in the autumn, if they conceded a couple of scores early didn't come back from that. These guys did.

"Unfortunately we let the opposition back in. We want to be a really successful team that wins Test matches. When you get to that level, you don't give the opposition the opportunities we did.

"I am disappointed for the supporters, who I thought were incredible for us today. We'll make sure we come back here in eight days' time and are a better team."

Duhan van der Merwe acknowledged even he was surprised by his magical first try after playing the starring role in Scotland's history-making Six Nations win over England.

The flying wing bolted in for two five-pointers in a 29-23 victory, giving Scotland back-to-back victories against England at Twickenham for the first time.

There was a touch of Jonah Lomu's greatness about both tries from Van der Merwe, as he ran from his own half for a remarkable first score before his power saw him shake off England bodies to snatch the late match-winning effort.

England came from behind to lead 13-12 at the interval, and then stretched that to 20-12 thanks to Max Malins' second try, but the Scots were not finished and Ben White brought them back into the game before Van der Merwe produced his second instalment of bulldozing heroics.

Van der Merwe told ITV: "We came here wanting to start the campaign off on a high. After the first half, we knew we had more in us and came out for the second half with a bang and managed to get the win over England so we're obviously buzzing.

"They scored quite early, and we said we just had to stay in the fight. We managed to get some points on the board and got some confidence from that."

Looking at his first slice of brilliance, destined to be remembered for many a year, Van der Merwe said: "As a winger you don't get a lot of opportunities, so I needed to take that opportunity.

"After I scored my first try, I was also quite surprised, so I will take that one any time of the day."

When it was put to him that he was rampaging through white shirts, showing no mercy, Van der Merwe said: "At the end of the day, I always say that's my job."

The South Africa-born player said Scotland must now build on their success, adding: "We spoke about getting our first win of the Six Nations and now we need to take some confidence from that and hopefully get our second win next week."

Coach Gregor Townsend echoed that sentiment, calling for a strong performance against Wales at Murrayfield next time out.

Townsend labelled Scotland's success "a brilliant win", with his team having now beaten England on the opening weekend of the championship for three successive years.

He feels there is still better to come, though, saying: "Our ceiling is a lot higher than that.

"We didn't get to play until well into the second half, and a lot of that was down to England's tactics and how they dominated possession, but most of it was down to us as well.

"We'll be better for today, and we've got to make sure that next week we put in a better performance, because the last two or three Six Nations we've not done that in round two."

England captain Owen Farrell said there were grounds for encouragement from what was Steve Borthwick's first game as head coach, after taking the reins from the sacked Eddie Jones in December.

Farrell said: "I think we started 11 days ago and there's been massive improvement over the 11 days, and trying to get that out on the field today, I thought we did that in large parts.

"There's some stuff we need to look at, and we need to get better at, but we'll have a look at that tomorrow and the day after. We'll make sure we get better from here.

"We stuck in the fight very well; even though Scotland played to the end and scored the try at the end, it never felt like we went away. We'll have a good look at it and make sure we build on it."

New coach, same outcome. Scotland had England's measure again on the opening weekend of the Six Nations as Steve Borthwick's debut as Red Rose boss ended in a 29-23 defeat at Twickenham, where Duhan van der Merwe put on a masterclass.

Borthwick, who took over from the sacked Eddie Jones in December, saw England suffer a fourth successive opening-weekend defeat in the championship, with the last three of those having come at the hands of Gregor Townsend's Scots.

This was a rip-roaring battle from the early stages. Scotland snatched a 15th-minute lead after a smart lineout move set up the chance near the England line. Huw Jones was halted, but Scotland got the ball moving again, with Sione Tuipulotu playing a clever kick through for Jones to dot down.

England banked their first try of the Borthwick era in the 24th minute when Max Malins dropped on a smart kick to the right corner by Marcus Smith.

Then came a glorious moment of skill from Van der Merwe, who ran from inside his own half and through the heart of England's team, dancing past one white shirt after another before scoring to the left of the posts. Pure magic on the big stage.

With Owen Farrell and Finn Russell missing consecutive conversions, Scotland's lead stood at 12-5, but that was trimmed when Malins dashed in for his second try, taking on a pass from Lewis Ludlam.

Farrell squandered another eminently kickable conversion chance, but he could hardly miss when England were awarded a penalty in front of the posts before the break, making no mistake to give the hosts a 13-12 interval lead.

Ellis Genge was England's close-range finisher after pressure was applied to the Scotland line early in the second half, with Farrell booting the extras; however, the Scots hit back in the 51st minute through Ben White, and Russell's kick made it a one-point game again.

Kyle Steyn dropped a high pass from Stuart Hogg as the Scots chased what would have been their fourth try, before Farrell and Russell exchanged penalties.

The Scots inside England's home roared as Van der Merwe gave Scotland the lead in the 74th minute, surging over in the left corner, ensuring his earlier heroics had not come in a losing cause. Russell added the extras, and this time England were done.

Super Scots rock Twickenham

Scotland have now won five of their last seven Six Nations openers, with Townsend's team losing only one of their last six Calcutta Cup games. They have beaten England three times in a row in the competition for the first time since a 1970-72 run of success. It turned into Van der Merwe's day, but team-mate Jones has now scored five tries in five Six Nations games against England. Only former England flyer Jason Robinson has managed more in this fixture, bagging six tries.

Van der Merwe try one for the ages

These teams met behind closed doors at Twickenham two years ago, with Scotland grabbing an 11-6 win and Van der Merwe scoring the game's only try. His sensational first try here would have been wasted on an empty stadium, with former Scotland captain John Barclay telling BBC Radio 5 Live: "That will go down as one of the best all-time individual tries."

What's next?

Scotland will look to build on this next week when they host a Wales side who were crushed by Ireland in their opener. England should net Borthwick a first win next weekend when Italy visit London, but the Azzurri beat Australia in November so cannot be underestimated.

France will begin their quest to become the first side in six years to retain the Six Nations when they travel to perennial wooden spoon winners Italy on Sunday.

Les Blues ended a 12-year wait to get their hands back on the trophy last year, doing so in style as they claimed a Grand Slam with a perfect five wins from five.

Italy also ended last year's tournament on a high as they broke a 36-game losing run with victory in Wales and are now out to avoid finishing bottom for the first time since 2015.

While France may be reigning champions and in good form, Ireland are top of the world rankings and are many people's favourites to go one better than last year by finishing top.

Up first for Andy Farrell's Ireland side is a trip to Wales, who are in action for the first time since Warren Gatland replaced Wayne Pivac on the back of some alarming results last year.

England also have a new head coach in Steve Borthwick, who replaced Eddie Jones in December, with his first test a mouth-watering Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland.

Ahead of the opening round of action, Stats Perform previews each match with help from Opta.

WALES V IRELAND

FORM

Wales' loss to Italy was their third in a row in the Six Nations – only once since the start of 2008, at the end of their 2020 campaign, have they endured a longer winless run – but Gatland's return has provided fresh hope.

The Dragons won their last seven on the bounce in the championship under Gatland, who landed three Grand Slams in his previous 12-year spell in charge before stepping down in 2019.

Ireland have won seven of their past eight games in the tournament, winning the past three of those by margins of at least 17 points and conceding just one try in total.

However, the away team have not come out on top in any of the past nine Six Nations encounters between these sides, with the nations sharing four wins each over that period and one draw.

ONES TO WATCH

Wales are without the injured Leigh Halfpenny, meaning Liam Williams will start at full-back, but they have plenty of other familiar and experienced faces in their starting line-up – George North among them.

He is one try short of matching Shane Williams' record haul of 23 for Wales in the Six Nations, and behind only Brian O'Driscoll (26) of all players in the tournament's history.

Plenty of eyes will be on Johnny Sexton in what will be his final Six Nations campaign, but Ireland have many other players for Wales to concern themselves with.

James Lowe, returning from a calf injury that ruled him out of the November fixtures, will be looking to push on from last year when he finished level with Damian Penaud and Gabin Villiere as the joint-highest try scorer with three.

ENGLAND V SCOTLAND

FORM

Jones may have bowed out with the best win rate of any England head coach (73 per cent), but the Red Rose won just two of their final five home matches under the now-Australia boss – not since November 2008 have they had a longer winless run at Twickenham.

With former skipper Borthwick now at the helm as head coach, England are aiming to avoid losing their opening fixture in the tournament for a fourth year running, following a streak of five successive round-one wins.

Scotland have a far better recent record on the opening weekend than their opponents, having won four of their past six such matches, including the past two in a row – both against England.

Indeed, Scotland have lost just one of their past five Calcutta Cup clashes, having lost each of the previous seven. A victory on enemy territory this weekend will make it three wins in a row for the first time since 1972.

ONES TO WATCH

Manu Tuilagi's absence will be felt by England, who have handed a debut to wing Ollie Hassell-Collins, but Joe Marchant will add pace alongside exciting Harlequins team-mate Marcus Smith.

Smith was the top points-scorer in last year's Six Nations (71) and also registered over twice as many running metres as any other fly-half in the tournament (412), as well as beating more defenders than anyone other number 10 (10).

Hamish Watson is not ready for a return to the Scotland side this weekend in a blow for coach Gregor Townsend. The 31-year-old was one of just three players to make 50 or more tackles without missing one in the 2022 edition (70), along with team-mate Grant Gilchrist and Ireland's Caelan Doris (both 53).

Gilchrist is available, though, and he resumes a partnership with Richie Gray in the second row that impressed during Scotland's November internationals.

ITALY V FRANCE

FORM

The signs of improvement were clear to see from an Italy perspective in 2022 as they picked up a first win in the tournament since 2015 and then beat Australia for the first time ever in November's Test.

The Azzurri have now won five of their past seven Tests, as many as they had won in their previous 36 combined, but they have not won at home in the Six Nations since 2013 and have won back-to-back games in the championship just twice previously.

France enter the competition boasting a team-record 13-match winning run after winning every game in a calendar year for the first time in 2022. They were not always at their best towards the end of the year, though, with three of their past four wins coming by margins of five points or fewer.

Les Blues have won their opening match in each of their past four campaigns as reigning champions, which does not bode well for an Italy side who have won only two of their 23 Six Nations home matches against this weekend's opponents.

ONES TO WATCH

Italy are without the pace and power of Monty Ioane after he returned to Australia and became unavailable for selection in this championship. No player made more line breaks (seven), beat more defenders (21), completed more offloads (eight) and made more dominant tackles (seven) than Ioane in last year's Six Nations.

The Azzurri still have Pierre Bruno and Ange Capuozzo at their disposal, with the latter impressing on his tournament bow in 2022 en route to winning World Rugby's men's Breakthrough Player of the Year award.

Even with the likes of regular starters Jonathan Danty and Cameron Woki ruled out, France still boast a number of top-class talents in their squad.

Gregory Alldritt, who will combine with Charles Ollivon and Anthony Jelonch in the back row, made more carries than any other player in last year's tournament (65) and was one of two players, along with team-mate Julien Marchand (50), to hit 50 or more defensive rucks with 59.

Steve Borthwick has left Manu Tuilagi out of his first team as England coach for the Six Nations opener against Scotland on Saturday.

Borthwick has made eight changes to the team from Eddie Jones' final game in charge against South Africa in November.

Joe Marchant has been selected at outside centre, while Marcus Smith and captain Owen Farrell are also named for the game at Twickenham.

Jamie George has come through return to play protocols to be selected at hooker.

Uncapped Ollie Hassell-Collins is one of the more surprising inclusions, while Dan Cole is named on the bench, having not played for England since the 2019 World Cup final.

After announcing the team, Borthwick detailed Tuilagi's reaction to the news, telling reporters: "Manu was the incredible professional that he is.

"We spoke, I told him what I decided selection wise... and we shook hands, and then he went and trained really hard and that reaction is testimony to him and his character and not just him but of several players in that way and ultimately what we want to build here.

"We want to build a team that is not simply about selection. It's a team that is building and going forward to try and get wins for England, which means you've got to train hard every day."

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend will hand Luke Crosbie his third cap as the Edinburgh flanker was named alongside Matt Fagerson and captain Jamie Ritchie in the back row.

Ben White will feature at scrum-half, while Kyle Steyn has been given the nod to replace the injured Darcy Graham at right wing.

Stuart Hogg has recovered from a heel injury to start at full-back, while Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones are named in midfield.

England team: Freddie Steward, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Owen Farrell, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Marcus Smith, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Lewis Ludlam, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt.

Replacements: Jack Walker, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Ben Earl, Ben Youngs, Ollie Lawrence, Anthony Watson.

Scotland team: Stuart Hogg, Kyle Steyn, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Finn Russell, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, George Turner, WP Nel, Richie Gray, Grant Gilchrist, Jamie Ritchie, Luke Crosbie, Matt Fagerson.

Replacements: Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti, Simon Berghan, Jonny Gray, Jack Dempsey, George Horne, Blair Kinghorn, Chris Harris.

The 2022 Six Nations may have proved to be a battle between the haves (France and Ireland) and the have-nots (England, Scotland, Wales and Italy), but this year's tournament is expected to be a far tighter affair.

France ended a 12-year wait for the title last time around, while claiming a record-equalling fourth Grand Slam, and they will fancy their chances of coming out on top again this year ahead of hosting the Rugby World Cup in September.

Ireland, who narrowly missed out to Les Blues 11 months ago, will have plenty to say about that as they look to continue building the momentum that saw them record a famous series win over New Zealand and climb to the top of the world rankings.

Both nations, ranked as they are as the world's top two as we edge closer to the World Cup, will very much have a target on their backs as the other contenders look to lay down a marker.

It is a time of change for England and Wales, who have brought in Steve Borthwick and Warren Gatland respectively on the back of disappointing campaigns last time out, with this year's Six Nations representing a first opportunity to see their sides in action.

While Italy would often be a side note heading into the competition – justifiably given they have finished bottom in each of the past seven editions – they ended a long-running winless streak with victory over Wales last year, which they followed up with a win against Australia three months ago.

And don't forget Scotland, who themselves came close to a historic win against New Zealand in November and finished level on points with fierce rivals England in last year's Six Nations.

Unfavourable fixtures for France

France are looking to do something not achieved since England in 2017 in retaining the Six Nations title, while not since 1998 – prior to Italy joining to make it a six-team tournament – has a nation won successive Grand Slam crowns, with Les Blues themselves the last to do so.

Despite being reigning champions and in great form with 13 wins in a row, even those with strong French ties are wary of the threat a strong Ireland side pose.

"I don't want to downplay it at all, but we're not the best team in the world – Ireland are, and that's just a fact," 47-cap former France international Ben Keyser told Stats Perform.

"We are title holders, but we've fallen on our faces previously when we've entered the tournament as favourites. This year we've got to go to Ireland and England, so it's going to be a really tough year for France."

That trip to Irish capital Dublin in the second round may yet prove to be a showdown for the championship, as it was last year when the only blemish for Andy Farrell's men was a defeat in Paris.

It must be remembered, however, that Ireland were also top of the world rankings heading into the 2019 World Cup, when they suffered defeat to Japan in the pool phase before being knocked out by New Zealand in the quarter-finals.

'Wales way behind'

Before thoughts can turn to that huge match with France, and indeed the World Cup even further down the line, Ireland first have an away trip to Wales in what will present a chance to lay down a marker in their bid to land a first Six Nations title since 2018.

On the back of Gatland's shock return as Wales boss following the sacking of Wayne Pivac, though, all of a sudden Saturday's curtain-raising clash at the Principality Stadium looks nowhere near as clear-cut to predict.

"A month or two ago I'd have said that's going to be a tough one because it's Cardiff, but Wales are in a bit of disarray and it's hard to see how they're going to beat this Ireland," former Ireland and British and Irish Lions hooker Rory Best told Stats Perform.

"But all of a sudden there's a change at the helm and all of a sudden you're a lot more worried about this game in Cardiff. You know their style of play and you know Gatland will make them hard to beat. That makes this a potential banana skin for Ireland."

Former Ireland boss Gatland needs no introducing, having won the Six Nations four times during his previous 12-year stint in charge of Wales, three of those as Grand Slam winners.

Indeed, he has been involved in 60 Six Nations games during his time with Ireland and Wales, which is the same tally as the other five head coaches in this year's championship combined.

That experience and ability to get the best out of a squad will come in handy for Wales as they attempt to recover from a terrible 2022 that saw them lose at home to Italy and Georgia.

Making the leap from fifth to first is likely to be out of the question, but exactly what would represent a positive campaign for Wales with one eye on the upcoming World Cup?

"Third. Coming third would be good," Wales great and former skipper Sam Warburton told Stats Perform. "That sounds really defeatist because normally you'd always aim to win it, or finish second, but I'm being realistic.

"Ireland and France are putting on displays which have had four or five years of groundwork. Wales are coming into the tournament not entirely fresh, but pretty close to that. So naturally they're way behind where those teams are in their cycle."

Borthwick to get the best out of England?

Finishing third would be a case of 'best of the rest' when up against the world's top two sides, but recently appointed England head coach Borthwick will quietly be hoping to challenge for the title.

Unlike Gatland, this will be Borthwick's first taste of Six Nations action as a head coach, though he did play 25 times in the championship as a player, 10 of those as captain of his country.

While Eddie Jones' tenure turned sour, his sacking on the back of a tough autumn campaign still came as somewhat of a surprise, but the now-Australia boss still departed with the best record of any England head coach.

Indeed, Jones won the Grand Slam in his first Six Nations campaign in charge in 2016, so there is recent precedent there for Borthwick – who previously worked as Jones' right-hand man – to follow.

In the view of former captain Chris Robshaw, the Red Rose have plenty to be optimistic about with Borthwick at the helm.

"Steve coming in is a brilliant appointment," Robshaw told Stats Perform. "You just look at the team he's created around him, such as Kevin Sinfield in defence, and the change in mindset. 

"I think they've got a fantastic team and a group that's in a nice age bracket, with a couple of younger players who can add some spark and bring some life back into the side. What I'm seeing and hearing are good messages with a lot of excitement."

'Toughest Six Nations yet'

Not for the first time, Scotland head into the Six Nations with a rather big question mark over their head. As ever, consistency will be the key if they are to better last year's fourth-place finish.

The additions of Ben Healy and Ruaridh McConnochie, who previously represented Ireland and England respectively, will provide some welcome depth for Gregor Townsend to choose from in possibly his final campaign in charge.

Both men may feature in a blockbuster opener for Scotland at Twickenham, where they picked up a first win since 1983 on their most recent visit, albeit with that game held behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Saturday's Calcutta Cup contest may well provide a better indication of exactly what the aim is for Scotland this time around.

"You never really know what to expect from them and that's exciting," Robshaw added. "That's why the Six Nations is brilliant, because anyone can beat anyone. It's why every day you have to be on it; if you're not you lose a game by the bounce of a ball and all of a sudden you're playing catch up.

"I think this year is going to be the toughest Six Nations yet. I don't think it'll be a Grand Slam year."

Robshaw will certainly not be alone in predicting a non-Grand Slam year, with teams expected to take points off each other, but what about at the other end of the table?

Perennial Wooden Spoon 'winners' Italy have finished bottom in every edition since 2016, but their aforementioned wins over Wales – ending a 36-game losing run in the competition – and Australia last year sent out quite the message.

Having avoided losing all five games for the first time in seven years last time around, the aim for the Azzurri now is to finish above one of the other five nations.

It all paves the way for what could be the best Six Nations in a number of years – certainly since the most recent World Cup – as new eras begin and some perhaps edge towards their pinnacle ahead of the Rugby World Cup in seven months' time.

Jofra Archer reflected on a "surreal" feeling after a "long road" back from injury following his six-wicket haul for England in Wednesday's ODI victory over South Africa.

The fast bowler has endured a torrid time with injuries across the last three years and had not featured for England in any format since March 2021, before the white-ball series against the Proteas.

Archer managed just one wicket for 81 runs on his long-awaited return as England succumbed to a 27-run opening defeat on Friday in Bloemfontein.

The 27-year-old was rested as South Africa wrapped up the ODI series with a five-wicket win in the second encounter, but helped England avoid a 3-0 whitewash in the last clash.

He took 6-40, the third-best bowling figures for England in an ODI, as England cruised to a 59-run victory after Jos Buttler paved the way with a dominant 131 in the first innings.

"It is good being back. It has been a long road," Archer said after his maiden five-wicket haul in 50-over international cricket.

"This is a small tick but I want to see how I am in April, June, July and September.

"Being back after however many weeks, months it is kind of surreal. This is just the first series, there is loads of time to get the fine-tuning done."

A fearsome pace-bowling display reinvigorated memories of the 2019 Cricket World Cup victory and the Ashes series in the same year when Archer caused Australia problems with his aggressive style.

"He is like gold dust," former England captain Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports. "He is so valuable for English cricket and world cricket.

"What I took today, was not just his class and wicket-taking potential, but what I've missed is just the effortless grace he has."

Archer will head to the Indian Premier League to test his T20 credentials before returning to train for the upcoming Ashes series with Australia, which starts on June 16.

Former England captain Michael Atherton wants the star bowler to be managed carefully, though, with his previous injuries remaining a concern.

"Back and elbow are absolutely critical so there would have been some doubt there about whether he would get back," Atherton told Sky Sports.

"He's got some way to go yet to show he can do it across formats and then cope with an ever-demanding schedule but it was a wonderful day for him."

A good Six Nations run is not imperative for England and Steve Borthwick, with Chris Robshaw suggesting it will have no bearing on their World Cup fortunes.

Former Leicester boss Borthwick will take charge of the national team for the first time since succeeding Eddie Jones in this weekend's opener with Scotland.

It marks the start of a five-match run that will serve as England's only competitive preparation ahead of September's showpiece tournament in France.

But former captain Robshaw does not feel the team need to ace their Six Nations campaign in order to bolster their prospects later this year.

"It is important, but it is not the be all and end all," Robshaw told Stats Perform. "The World Cup is a separate tournament.

"Of course you want to win, and you want to play well now, but you've still got another four or five months before that.

"I think when South Africa won it back in 2007, they were pretty awful in their build-up.

"You want to be confident going in, but it's not everything."

England head into the Six Nations as underdogs, with France and Ireland the leading favourites to take the title in March.

Robshaw feels there is still a successful campaign to be had, however, pointing to the growth and experience they will develop alongside Borthwick.

"They need to hit the ground running against Scotland," he added. "First and foremost, they need to do that.

"From an output point of view, if they could win [against] Scotland and Italy, and then nick one of the Ireland or France games, I think that will be viewed as a very successful campaign.

"This is a growing squad. It is a new group, but I think it's a great combination of a team [with] huge excitement, experience and a well-balanced coaching staff."

South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock was not considered for selection for the Proteas' final ODI against England on Wednesday following an injury to his right thumb.

De Kock suffered the injury in the 2nd ODI on Sunday while attempting to catch a ball off of an edge from England batsman Harry Brook.

The Proteas' wicketkeeper was cleared to bat in the second innings after a scan revealed no fracture and made 31 as a superb Temba Bavuma century saw his side chase down 342 to win by five wickets.

However, Cricket South Africa (CSA) decided De Kock will not be risked in the third ODI with Heinrich Klaasen his replacement.

South Africa are aiming for a series sweep after winning the first two matches in Bloemfontein and made three changes for the final ODI, with Anrich Nortje and Keshav Maharaj also missing out. 

Should they win the final game today, South Africa would boost their chances of automatically qualifying for the World Cup in India later this year with a defeat meaning they may have to go through the qualifiers in Zimbabwe.

Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas joined Nottingham Forest on loan as Steve Cooper's side completed a remarkable deadline-beating signing on Tuesday.

Navas, a three-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, fell out of favour in the French capital with Gianluigi Donnarumma the preferred goalkeeper for Christophe Galtier's side.

The 110-cap Costa Rica international will add a wealth of experience as Cooper's side attempt to stave off Premier League relegation.

Navas, who won two Ligue 1 titles with PSG after leaving Madrid in 2019, could be in line for his Forest debut in a crucial relegation clash at home to Leeds United on Sunday.

The arrival of Navas, whom Forest have the option to sign permanently at the end of the season, was announced shortly after confirmation of Jonjo Shelvey's signing from fellow Premier League side Newcastle United.

Shelvey has penned a two-and-a-half-year contract with Forest, with the fee undisclosed but expected to be insignificant as the midfielder's Newcastle deal was set to expire in June.

Former Liverpool man Shelvey suggested Cooper was a big draw after discussing the move with Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe.

"It's a fantastic football club that has so much history and I'm really looking forward to getting started," he told the club's website.

"My main goal straight away is to fight for my place in the team and stay there.

"It's not going to be easy because there's a lot of competition for places, but it's a challenge I'm really looking forward to and the competitiveness can only help the team going forward.

"I spoke to Eddie Howe and he had such good words to say about Steve Cooper. I previously knew of him from my time at Liverpool, so I knew what a fantastic coach he was, but meeting him for the first time has been a breath of fresh air.

"He's told me what he expects and the high standards he sets, so I can hope I can come and help the team push to stay in the Premier League.

"I've been in this league a long time, I know what it takes to stay up and what it takes to get a good team to gel, so I'm looking forward to getting started and working with the players that are here."

Atletico Madrid completed the signing of Matt Doherty after his Tottenham contract was terminated to facilitate the transfer.

With Spurs set to bring in Pedro Porro from Sporting CP, Djed Spence was sent on loan to Ligue 1 side Rennes and fellow wing-back Doherty also left north London on Tuesday.

The Republic of Ireland defender was reportedly set to join Diego Simeone's side on loan but has signed a contract until the end of the season.

Spurs released a statement to confirm Doherty's contract had been terminated to "enable him to join another club".

The 31-year-old former Wolves defender follows in the footsteps of Kieran Trippier, who swapped Spurs for Atletico in 2019 and lifted the LaLiga title with the Rojiblancos in the 2020-21 season.

As Doherty heads to Madrid, Atletico defender Felipe goes the other way to England after completing a move to Nottingham Forest.

The 33-year-old started just two LaLiga games for Simeone's side this season, seemingly falling out of favour behind Mario Hermoso and Jose Gimenez.

Felipe's Atletico contract was due to expire in June before he signed a deal running until 2024 for Forest, where he looks forward to a new challenge in the Premier League.

"It was a dream of mine to play in the Premier League and I'm really excited to be part of this wonderful, fast-growing club," he told the club's official website.

"You can see it's a club looking to really grow. It's a big challenge for me and I made a clear decision to be part of the history here and grow with the club."

Henry Slade has withdrawn from the England squad for their Six Nations opener against Scotland on February 4.

New head coach Steve Borthwick confirmed his 36-man selection for the Calcutta Cup on Sunday, with Slade left out after suffering a hip injury in Exeter Chief's European Champions Cup game against Castres last week.

Jamie George has overcome a head injury to make the squad, as has Anthony Watson (leg) after he featured for Leicester Tigers against Northampton Saints on Saturday.

After confirming the squad, Borthwick said: "This is a very important week for us as we prepare for our first game against Scotland.

"We know that Scotland are an excellent side with a great coaching team led by Gregor Townsend. They're a settled squad who have been together a long time and have dominated this fixture in recent seasons.

"They will be coming to Twickenham full of confidence.

"We know we have a lot of work to do. The team trained very hard last week and are ready to go again this week. We can't wait to run out at Twickenham again in front of our incredible supporters."

It was also confirmed that Slade and vice-captain Courtney Lawes will continue rehab work within the camp during the week.

England squad to face Scotland

Forwards: Ollie Chessum, Dan Cole, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt, Tom Dunn, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Jonny Hill, Nick Isiekwe, Maro Itoje, Lewis Ludlam, David Ribbans, Bevan Rodd, Sam Simmonds, Kyle Sinckler, Mako Vunipola, Jack Walker, Jack Willis

Backs: Owen Farrell, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Dan Kelly, Ollie Lawrence, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Alex Mitchell, Cadan Murley, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Manu Tuilagi, Jack van Poortvliet, Anthony Watson, Ben Youngs