An alternative England XV: Players who were unlucky to miss out… - Page 3 of 3 - Ruck

An alternative England XV: Players who were unlucky to miss out…

4. Nick Isiekwe (Northampton Saints)

Nick Isiekwe of Northampton Saints is Gallagher Man of the Match during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Match between London Irish and Northampton Saints at The Stoop on 22 Aug. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK/Gallagher.

The 6’7”, 119kg forward already has over 50 Gallagher Premiership appearances under his belt for Saracens, as well as appearing in the 2019 Heineken Champions Cup final. It was a major shock that he wasn’t called up ahead of the 2020 Autumn Nations Cup.

DID YOU KNOW? He was trialed at many positions in his youth; including Prop, Number 8, Flanker and Centre, 


5. Josh McNally (Bath Rugby)

A towering presence at 6 ft 7, McNally makes his mark through his stopping power in defence, and ability to make a dent in the opposition with his ball carries. With so many players out injured, the 30-year-old can count himself unlucky not to get the call.

DID YOU KNOW? He is also a Royal Air Force weapons technician and has been in the RAF since 2009


6. Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)

Making a first outing for the England XV side in 2019, he crossed the whitewash twice in a Man of the Match performance where his powerful ball carrying and deft off-loading skills were on show. Plenty of fans were baffled why the 23-year-old was omitted from Jones latest squad.

DID YOU KNOW? He played for Wales under 20s in the 2017 Six Nations


7. Ben Curry (Sale Sharks)

Curry broke into the first team with twin brother Tom in 2016 – and both made an impressive impact in senior rugby. Ben would have made his senior England debut against the Barbarians in May 2017, but for an injury in the week before the game. That presented Tom with his chance – and he won the man-of-the match award. Ben has been in the shadow since.


8. Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs)

Older of the two Simmonds brothers at Sandy Park, Sam has come through the Academy ranks at the Chiefs to establish himself as a rising star within the game. Another player whose omittance caused an outcry on social media.

DID YOU KNOW? As a child, he wanted to be a footballer, but after earning selection to play rugby for Devon aged 14, he switched his focus to it