Steve Borthwick has announced his wider training squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup Summer preparations, with England set for four warm-up matches ahead of the trip to France.
Borthwick’s side are set for back-to-back encounters with Wales, a trip to Dublin to face Six Nations Grand Slam winners Ireland, and a final stop against Fiji at Twickenham Stadium. After Borthwick announced a 28 man squad last week, he bolstered the group today with 15 new arrivals at Pennyhill Park.
Amongst this contingent are some uncapped England hopefuls, who are aiming to make their mark in the upcoming Summer internationals, and secure themselves a spot on the plane to France. Here are the five players who will be aiming to do just that.
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Tom Pearson – Northampton Saints
One of English rugby’s most exciting young talents, fans have been calling for the international break-out of lock Tom Pearson following consistent stellar performances with his former club London Irish. One of the most talked-about players following the financial collapse of the Exiles, Pearson will call Franklin’s Gardens home next season, as he has agreed a deal with Northampton Saints.
Pearson joins the Saints with former London Irish teammates and future England stars Chunya Munga and Tarek Haffar, but has the hopes of pulling on an England jersey before he runs out for Northampton next season. Pearson had a phenomenal season with the Exiles, and is now considered to be amongst the best defenders in the Premiership.
Pearson finished joint-first in the tackle charts, making a staggering 240 tackles in the 2022/23 Premiership season, with a 94% tackle completion rate. The 23-year-old shared the accolade with new Northampton teammate Alex Moon, yet took home the 2023 RPA Young Player of the Year Award all for himself. Pearson averaged out 73 minutes a game for Irish last season, and presented his attacking threat by making 496 metres with ball-in-hand.
A fantastic talent, England fans have been hopeful of Pearson’s breakthrough ever since it was first reported that former Exiles Head Coach Declan Kidney had been in discussion with Steve Borthwick about his players.
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