Steve Borthwick has announced his official 33-man England squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. There are many high-profile absentees, as the likes of Alex Dombrandt, Henry Slade and Jonny Hill were cut from the group this morning.
With the dust settled on England’s disappointing defeat to Wales in Cardiff, all eyes now turn to this weekend’s return fixture. England host Warren Gatland’s side at Twickenham Stadium, with Borthwick ready to showcase his newly selected squad.
Here are the five biggest talking points, from Steve Borthwick’s England Rugby World Cup squad announcement.
1. Eight Players Cut After Wales Defeat
Eight players who featured in England’s disappointing 20-9 defeat to Wales, have been cut from Steve Borthwick’s revised squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Borthwick previously discussed how his players knew where they stood with their chances of making the competition, and he gave no second chances to eight players after England’s opening defeat of the 2023 Summer Series.
From the squad that flopped against Wales, six starters have subsequently been let go back to their clubs, after failing to impress Borthwick. Alex Dombrandt, Tom Willis, Guy Porter, Joe Cokanasiga, Tom Pearson and Jamie Blamire all now leave the England camp having started against Wales in Cardiff. The remaining two players came off the bench, as Jonny Hill played all but five minutes of the second half, and Henry Slade made a cameo appearance in the final 10 minutes.
Borthwick seems to be running a tight ship at Pennyhill Park, with little room for error available for the players who underperformed against Warren Gatland’s side. This Saturday sees England host Wales in a return match at Twickenham Stadium, in what will likely feature Borthwick trailing out his new templated ‘A’ team, for the 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign.
2. No ‘Out-And-Out’ Number Eight Behind Injured Billy Vunipola
The omission of Harlequins back-rower Alex Dombrandt is an interesting cut, as this leaves Steve Borthwick without a specialist number eight, aside from Billy Vunipola. The Saracen is currently recovering from undergoing knee surgery, yet has been selected within the 33-man squad. The question remains though, as to who will start at eight-man for the remaining Summer Series matches.
Borthwick has selected Vunipola’s Saracens teammate Ben Earl, along with Lewis Ludlam, Jack Willis, Tom Curry and Courtney Lawes as back-row options. Tom Curry has previously worn the number eight jersey for England during the tail end of the Eddie Jones era, but the Sale man recently suffered an ankle injury in training. Curry was recently sporting a protective boot, putting his selection for this weekend against the odds.
Lawes is a versatile asset would could perform in the eight shirt, as well as anywhere across the second and back-row for that matter. Willis has only ran out in an eight shirt on a handful of occasions in his career, with his predominant strength being on the openside flank. The same applies to Ludlam, yet his recent England performances have come in the number six jersey.