5 England hopefuls who impressed in PREM Rugby Round 18

Exeter Chiefs confirmed their spot in the top four with a hard-fought victory over Saracens, to end the 15-year Mark McCall era upon an underwhelming note for the Londoners. The Chiefs take on Bath at the Rec in the semi-finals for a blockbuster West Country derby, whilst Northampton Saints host Leicester Tigers for a stellar clash between the old East Midlands rivals.

With the end of the PREM Rugby season coming in over the horizon, the attention will then turn to the first ever Nations Championship, with the Southern Series kicking off in July. England are preparing for a trip down to Johannesburg for the opening round, to take on the Springboks at the fabled Ellis Park.

Whilst the odds are stacked against Steve Borthwick's side, this past weekend witnessed a handful of uncapped England talents put their hands up for inclusion. Here's who stood out from Round 18 of the Gallagher PREM, in a bid to get a place on the plane for the upcoming Nations Championship.

We kick off this five man short-list with young Gloucester flyer Ben Redshaw, who was on hand to deliver a thunderous performance against his former club. It was an emphatic win for the Cherry and Whites to close out their PREM Rugby season, with Redshaw hammering home a hat-trick of tries on Newcastle Red Bulls, who yet again end the league at the bottom of the table.

Redshaw has proven to be an invaluable asset to the Kingsholm faithful, with an England A cap against Spain showing how he is on the Test radar.

Whilst there is plenty of time for 21-year-old Ben Redshaw to progress on to the England camp, the same can't be said about experienced Exeter Chiefs outside back Olly Woodburn.

At 34-years-old Woodburn is playing some of the best rugby of his career, and was integral to Exeter's impressive win over Saracens to secure their spot in the play-offs. Despite playing his entire career across Bath and Exeter, Woodburn is yet to make his England debut, with the versatile back-three man putting his hand up this weekend.

Having endured quite the underwhelming season, Harlequins fans were delighted to see their side close out their campaign on a high this past weekend.

With a home semi-final already secured, Northampton Saints sent a rotated side down to the Stoop, yet Quins still had to empty the tank to get the 38-31 win. Evans was ever-present in the victory for the Londoners, and continues to knock down the door for an inclusion amongst the stacked England back row. Could this be the Summer of opportunity for the in-form Harlequins man?

Next up is Sale lock Ben Bamber, who continues to prove himself up in the North West ahead of an expected England inclusion before too long. The Summer international window has long been used as a proving ground for emerging talents, and Bamber could build upon his two previous England A caps with a full senior debut in the Nations Championship. The Sharks lock was all over the pitch in his side's solid victory over Bristol Bears, as he ended his campaign with 21 tackles and a try for Alex Sanderson's men.

We close out the five impressive England hopefuls with up-and-coming Gloucester hooker Seb Blake, who has steadily established himself amongst the Kingsholm starters this season. Blake is just 24, yet carries his on-field performances with a confidence and experience of a PREM Rugby veteran, with his efforts calling for an England inclusion before too long. Blake ran the forward pack in the heavy win over Newcastle, and put his body on the line with 12 tackles and a stunning 100% completion rate.