Here is our alternative England XV made up of players who were unlucky to miss out on Eddie Jones’ squad for the Autumn Internationals.
The England chief has confirmed the 36 players to train with him as they prepare to take on Argentina in their opening game at Twickenham
There were always going to be some tough calls and with competition for places fiercer than ever before, a number of classy players have been left disappointed
We pick a team out of those players unlucky to miss out…
Fullback: Jason Woodward – Gloucester
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Despite being one of the hottest talents in the Premiership last season, it remains to be seen whether Jones has identified the speedster as a possible starter for his England team. Despite scoring the winning try on debut for Gloucester, Woodward has had a mixed start to life at Kingsholm, however, with limited specialist full-backs, it would have been interesting to see him given a chance.
Winger: Christian Wade – Wasps
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The international wilderness is the most frustrating limbo in sport and this speedster has been trapped in there for far too long. Wade scored 18 tries in 25 appearances for Wasps last season and has already run five tries this campaign. Very rarely is a player that did nothing wrong in their first game and has shown consistent form at club level ignored, but Wade is definitely one.
Centre: Chris Harris – Newcastle Falcons
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It was really disappointing to see that the Falcons centre has accepted a call-up to the Scotland squad. The 26-year-old has become a lynchpin of Dean Richard’s team and would have brought something different to the England squad with his elusive running and ability to offload in the tackle.
Centre: Harry Mallinder – Northampton Saints
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Mallinder’s rise through the Saints ranks has been highly impressive. His versatility has been crucial to Saints good start to the season and I think it would have been beneficial to both him and England if he was among the group as an apprentice at the very least.