Six Nations: George disappointed to lose England captaincy to Itoje
Borthwick said it was a matter of when, not if, he emerged and thrived at Test level.
“Henry was a wonderful player,” Borthwick said of Pollock.
“We want this player to be an England player for a long time. It’s not necessarily this week or next week, we want to make sure this player is in an England shirt for a long time.”
Prop Dan Cole is at the other end of his career. The 37-year-old was left out of the squad alongside Leicester City team-mate Joe Hayes and Sale youngster Asher Opoku-Fortiul, but Borthwick insists Cole remains could add to his 118 games.
“Dan has always been keen to get involved and help England,” he said.
“I know he’s going to be disappointed, but I also know that if we need him, he’s going to go right out there and be ready.”
Overall, Borthwick has resisted making widespread changes, with 32 of his 36 players in the squad for the autumn internationals or being included in the squad that would have played this season but for injury.
He says continuity is vital for England to develop the entertaining and attacking game they want and they are learning from their first opponents in this year’s Six Nations.
“You can see the cohesion and consistency that the Ireland team has had over the years – a lot of them played together in Leinster,” Borthwick added.
“We have to build that cohesion and the way we want to play. I think the difference is the way we attack and move the ball.
“You look at the athleticism and pace this England team has ahead of 2024.
“How well you know each other, how cohesive you are and how many games you’ve played together will help you be more effective as an offensive team.”
Hear more analysis from Ugo Moyer, Chris Ashton and Chris Jones on England’s Six Nations in the latest episode of Rugby League Weekly, airing on Tuesday night.
