England Rugby head coach Steve Borthwick has named his 36-man squad for a three-day training camp at Pennyhill Park ahead of the Nations Championship in November.
The squad assembled on Sunday, September 6 and will train at England’s Performance Centre until Tuesday, September 8 to prepare for the Northern Hemisphere legs of the Nations Championship.
England will face the Wallabies on Sunday, November 8 at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, before taking on Japan and New Zealand.
Fin Baxter returns to the side after almost 10 months, having been out of action since December with a foot injury. Joining him in the front row is Will Stuart, who also returns after a long period on the sidelines, while Bristol Bears star Ellis Genge stays with his club in an effort to rebuild his fitness following an extended break.
Joe Heyes, Emmanuel Iyogun, George Kloska and Asher Opoku-Fordjour make up the rest of the props, while Luke Cowan-Dickie, Theo Dan and the hugely promising Kepu Tuipulotu represent the squad in the hooking department.
In the second row, the big news is the return of Maro Itoje after a summer off international duty, and he is joined by the inexperienced Arthur Clark, Alex Coles and George Martin.
The back row sees the return of Chandler Cunningham-South, while also bringing in the hugely impressive Exeter Chiefs number eight Greg Fisilau. Tom Curry, Ben Earl, Guy Pepper, Henry Pollock and Sam Underhill complete the dangerous-looking loose forwards.
With Alex Mitchell and Ben Spencer continuing their rehabilitation with their clubs, space has opened for Harry Randall, Jack van Poortvliet and Archie McParland to assert themselves in the camp alongside the highly experienced fly-half trio of George Ford, Fin Smith and Marcus Smith.
Seb Atkinson, Benhard Janse van Rensburg and Henry Slade are the three key men in the midfield, with Max Ojomoh’s calf being rested. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Tommy Freeman and Cadan Murley provide the gas in the wide channel, while Elliot Daly provides himself as a useful utility member. And at fullback, it’s the usual duo of George Furbank and Freddie Steward that will once again compete for Borthwick’s affections.
Neither Courtney Lawes nor Joe Marchant have been included in this squad as Borthwick is reportedly keen to see both players back performing in the Prem before selection, while Tom Roebuck is playing for Sale on Sunday and Noah Calouri has a wrist injury.
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England squad
Forwards: Fin Baxter, Arthur Clark, Alex Coles, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Chandler Cunningham-South, Tom Curry, Theo Dan, Ben Earl, Greg Fisilau, Joe Heyes, Maro Itoje, Emmanuel Iyogun, George Kloska, George Martin, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Guy Pepper, Henry Pollock, Will Stuart, Kepueli Tuipulotu, Sam Underhill
Backs: Seb Atkinson, Elliot Daly, Tobias Elliott, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, George Ford, Tommy Freeman, George Furbank, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Archie McParland, Cadan Murley, Harry Randall, Henry Slade, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Jack van Poortvliet
Rehabilitation: Jamie George (Saracens), Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers).
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