Six Nations: Fraser Dingwall and Tommy Freeman take on each other

It’s not a skill listed on many players’ resumes.

But Tommy Freeman, smiling, happily puts it down to team-mate Fraser Dingwall.

“He’s kind of nailed it to put me in a hole – he’s very good at that,” Freeman told Rugby Union Weekly.

“Sacrificing himself for the greater good!”

When Dingwall is patched up, Freeman thrives.

As England’s starting XI, the pair will try to execute their own game against Wales on Saturday, with Dingwall taking the ball to the goal line and Freeman taking the glory.

England’s partnership has been 12-13 only twice previously. Freeman is a relative junior midfielder, having spent the vast majority of his career as a winger.

But the couple has a shared history from which to draw.

They both came through Northampton’s academy and were key figures in Saints’ run to the Premier League title in 2023-24 and the European Champions Cup final in 2024-25.

“It’s very easy to call each other out and tell each other when we’re not doing well. And when we are,” Freeman says.

“That’s huge because the more times you’re in that position [alongside each other]the more signals you pick up.

“Dingers is a great communication medium. It’s just constant, constant noise.

“He’s very good at seeing what’s in front of you and gives you confidence and he can move the ball very well and create some good chances for us out wide.”

Dingwall does more than just grease wheels, mark space, and take pictures.

And in a rare win over New Zealand in the autumn, it was he who ran under the posts as Ollie Lawrence caught the eye and converted the ball at the last minute.

But, more often than not, he is happy to rely on his reputation as a player who makes others shine, rather than living in the spotlight himself.

“You look at the guys we have in the backline, their natural talent to beat people, the physicality and all sorts of things they can do – I feel like my role is more or less how I can showcase that as best as I can,” Dingwall said.

“That doesn’t mean I’m not constantly trying to improve myself and I’m not trying to become one of those people or do those things.

“But we have such superior talent and strengths within that defensive department, it’s like: How can I help bring all of that out?”