England enter the 2026 Six Nations harbouring genuine title hopes for the first time in several years as they seek a first championship since 2020, but former captain Martin Johnson has issued a warning to the current squad.
Johnson, who captained England to Rugby World Cup glory in 2003, spoke to Sky Sports alongside former team-mate Jason Robinson. He recalled being part of England sides that repeatedly missed out on Grand Slams in the late 1990s and early 2000s because of single defeats, and said the Six Nations can be different from other runs of form.
“All those teams want to beat you. Wales are coming to Twickenham with nothing to lose, so you’ve got to be at your best,” Johnson said. He described the tournament as five individual games rather than one continuous campaign: every opponent must be properly studied and beaten on the day. “People are talking about who’s going to win it at the end of the tournament. But get the first game under your belt, get it won, and go from there. It starts and finishes with the forwards.”
Robinson: England can win title but need to play with the ball
Jason Robinson said he is hopeful for England’s chances but urged a more attacking approach. “Of course England can do it, but I think we need to play. We need to play with a bit of width, score tries and get those bonus points stacking up, because I think that’s what it’s going to come down to.”
Robinson highlighted England’s pace out wide — naming Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Henry Arundell and Tommy Freeman — and said he hopes they will “throw the ball about a bit.” He noted that France are fancied, in part because of their fixture list, but warned that every week in the Six Nations brings different challenges and potential upsets.
“Wales have always got a chance. They’ll love nothing more than beating England on the first day. It’s a little bit of a banana skin. I would expect England to win. Then it’s build the momentum and take it into next week. Don’t look any further than what’s just ahead of you.”
England team to face Wales
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Tommy Freeman, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Henry Arundell, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George (c), 3 Joe Heyes, 4 Alex Coles, 5 Ollie Chessum, 6 Guy Pepper, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Ben Earl.
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Trevor Davison, 19 Maro Itoje, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Ben Spencer, 23 Marcus Smith.
England’s 2026 Six Nations Fixtures
– Wales – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham – Saturday, February 7 – 4.40pm (GMT)
– Scotland – Murrayfield – Saturday, February 14 – 4.40pm (GMT)
– Ireland – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham – Saturday, February 21 – 2.10pm (GMT)
– Italy – Stadio Olimpico – Saturday, March 7 – 4.40pm (GMT)
– France – Stade de France – Saturday, March 14 – 8.10pm (GMT)