ENGLAND MAY BEEF UP BACK LINE

ENGLAND assistant coach Kevin Sinfield has warned that Ollie Lawrence and Manu Tuilagi are ‘ready to kick the door down’ if the team’s back line is beefed up for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup clash at Murrayfield.

The hard-running centres are available for the first time in this year’s Six Nations after recovering from the respective groin and hip injuries that forced them to miss the opening two rounds of the tournament.

Head coach Steve Borthwick must decide whether to break up the midfield partnership of Fraser Dingwall and Henry Slade that started the wins against Italy and Wales or add more ball-carrying clout to the back line.

‘Ollie and Manu (far right) bring power,’ said Sinfield. ‘Fraser and Henry offer a bit more ball movement and a bit more finesse at the line, but what Manu and Ollie bring is they will kick the door down. ‘It’s about trying to find the right balance for us this weekend. Ollie and Manu haven’t been in with us that long but we know them pretty well.

‘Then there’s the experience of Henry and Fraser’s ball skills and their game management in and around that midfield, so we’ve got healthy competition there.’ Borthwick will make at least one enforced change when he names his team tomorrow after scrum-half Alex Mitchell was ruled out with a knee injury he picked up in training. Mitchell was due to see a specialist yesterday, with a date still to be set for his return to action.

It clears the path for 37-year-old veteran Danny Care to win his 99th cap as a starter in Edinburgh on Saturday against Gregor Townsend’s men, if he holds off the challenge of Ben Spencer who is more likely to feature on the bench.

‘Danny’s had a great career and I’ve loved working with him,’ said Sinfield. ‘He looks after himself really well and, to still be playing at 37, you’ve got to be doing that early in your career. ‘We all know the type of professional that he is and the experience he has. You can’t measure how valuable experience is because it gives confidence, belief and trust to those around him.

‘He’s really good around the group because of his personality. He’s always got a smile on his face.

‘He understands people really well and he gets the best out of those around him. It would be awesome if he can get to 100 caps.’