Steve Borthwick has named his 41-man squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, and has included five uncapped England hopefuls in the group. Today Borthwick bolstered his side by adding 12 players from 2023 Premiership finalists Saracens and Sale Sharks, and finalised his squad for the trip to France.
The uncapped England stars have four matches to impress Borthwick, before the squad makes the short trip across the channel ahead of their Rugby World Cup campaign. England’s opening match of the competition is a Pool D clash with Argentina, kicking off their competition in Marseille on Saturday 9th September.
However, this Summer sees England play in four Rugby World Cup warm-up matches, to ease out any cracks before the pinnacle competition commences. Borthwick’s side have back-to-back matches against Wales, both in Cardiff and Twickenham, before heading to Dublin for a run-in with Ireland.
After England battle it out with the reigning Six Nations Grand Slam champions, they face a Fijian sized roadblock to finalise their preparations. The uncapped Northampton Saints duo of Fin Smith and Fraser Dingwall have since been released from the England squad, yet these five bolters may well receive their debut this Summer, and shake any first-time nerves ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Lets meet the new faces.
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1. Tom Willis
Joining his brother Jack in the England squad, back-rower Tom Willis is an exciting inclusion in Steve Borthwick’s plans. Soon to be heading back to the Premiership after agreeing a deal with Saracens, Willis returns to the top flight of English rugby after the financial collapse of Wasps last October.
The hard-hitting no-nonsense eight man commandeers the back of the pack, and formed a formidable back-row duo with his flanking brother at Wasps. Following their redundancy in Coventry, the Willis brothers both found new homes in the French Top 14, as Jack signed for 2023 champions Toulouse, and Tom joined Bordeaux-Begles.
Willis made 19 appearances for Bordeaux during the 2022/23 season, and quickly nailed his name to the number eight jersey. The 24-year-old scored three tries for the Southwestern France side, dotting down twice in the league and also once in the Heineken Champions Cup.
Thought by many pundits and fans alike to be Saracens’ forthcoming replacement to Billy Vunipola, Willis will be battling for his shirt as the Saracen now seems to be staying put at the StoneX Stadium for next season. Vunipola planted the seeds for a departure, after statements surrounding his uncertain future went viral from Jim Hamilton’s ‘Big Jim Show’ podcast.
The recent retirement of certifiable club legend Jackson Wray opens up big boots to fill on the Sarries blindside flank, with Head Coach Mark McCall potentially eyeing up Willis’ versatility across the back-row for this role. Regardless of whether Willis wears the black six or eight shirt next season, he is a top-class addition to the Premiership champions squad.
He will be gaining valuable experience playing with his new teammates in the England squad, as Borthwick called up seven Saracens players into the Rugby World Cup squad today. Willis is joined by captain Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje, Jamie George, Elliot Daly, Max Malins, Ben Earl as well as newcomer Theo Dan (more on him shortly), in the reinforced England squad.