England A have named their squad to face Argentina XV, with a former Māori All Blacks forward among the new additions.
Head coach Mark Mapletoft has selected a 30-man group for Friday's clash at The Rec, which kicks off at 19:45 and will be shown live on the England Rugby YouTube channel and Premier Sports.
The squad has been put together through a collaborative approach involving Mapletoft, senior England head coach Steve Borthwick and RFU Executive Director of Rugby Performance Conor O'Shea.
All 10 Gallagher PREM clubs are represented, with the England A squad assembling at the University of Bath training ground ahead of their first fixture of the season.
Newcastle Red Bulls forward Max Hicks is one of six players receiving their first call-up, having impressed since arriving in the North East this summer.
The New Zealand-born forward can operate at either lock or blindside flanker.
He started his professional career with Tasman before making his Highlanders debut in Super Rugby in 2022.
That same year, he earned a call-up to the Māori All Blacks, making two appearances for the side against Japan XV.
Hicks moved to France to join Perpignan ahead of the 2025/26 campaign but left in January 2026 to agree a two-year deal with Newcastle Red Bulls from the following season.
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He is eligible to represent England through his ancestry, with his mother from Cornwall. He has not been capped at senior Test level by New Zealand.
The other new faces are Lucas Friday, Will Knight, Alex O'Driscoll, James Pater and Will Trenholm.
Bristol Bears' Fitz Harding will captain the side.
Eight players with previous senior England appearances have also been included: Charlie Atkinson, Jamie Blamire, Noah Caluori, Joe Carpenter, George Kloska, Luke Northmore, Max Ojomoh and Ethan Roots.
England Men’s ‘A’ training squad for Argentina XV fixture
(includes current club, community club and senior men's caps)
Forwards
Ben Bamber (Sale Sharks, Langworthy Reds ARLFC, uncapped)
Joe Batley (Bristol Bears, Gosport and Fareham RFC,
uncapped)
Jamie Blamire (Leicester Tigers, Workington RFC, 7 caps)
Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester Rugby, Saracens
Amateur RFC, uncapped)
Fitz Harding (c) (Bristol Bears, Beaconsfield RFC,
uncapped)
Max Hicks (Newcastle Red Bulls, Marist RFC, uncapped)
Will Hobson (Harlequins, Wymondham Rugby Club, uncapped)
Nathan Jibulu (Sale Sharks, Old Wimbledonians, uncapped)
Jack Kenningham (Harlequins, Reeds, uncapped)
George Kloska (Bristol Bears, St. Brendan’s RFC, 2 caps)
Tom Lockett (Northampton Saints, Colchester RFC,
uncapped)
Alex O'Driscoll (Saracens, Amersham & Chiltern RFC, uncapped)
Sam Riley (Harlequins, Chobham RFC, uncapped)
Ethan Roots (Exeter Chiefs, East Coast Bays RFC, 4 caps)
Will Trenholm (Gloucester Rugby, Farnham RUFC, uncapped)
Archie van der Flier (Leicester Tigers, Nottingham Rugby, uncapped)
Backs
Charlie Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby, Oxford RFC, 1 cap)
Orlando Bailey (Leicester Tigers, Dorchester RFC,
uncapped)
Noah Caluori (Saracens, Blackheath Rugby, 2 caps)
Joe Carpenter (Sale Sharks, West Park Leeds RUFC, 1 cap)
Tobias Elliott (Saracens, Harrow Rugby Club, uncapped)
Caolan Englefield (Gloucester Rugby, Old
Rutlishians Rugby, uncapped)
Lucas Friday (Harlequins, Bromley RFC, uncapped)
George Hendy (Northampton Saints, Shipston-on-Stour RFC, uncapped)
Will Knight (Gloucester Rugby, Longlevens RFC, uncapped)
Luke Northmore (Harlequins, Tavistock RFC, 2 caps)
Max Ojomoh (Bath Rugby, Chippenham RFC, 2 caps)
James Pater (Northampton Saints, Shelford RFC, uncapped)
Billy Searle (Leicester Tigers, Okehampton RFC, uncapped)
Will Wand (Leicester Tigers, Spalding RFC, uncapped)
Select your England XV
Think you could do a better job than Steve Borthwick?
Now it's your turn to pick the team.
With injuries mounting and several Gallagher PREM stars pushing for a call-up, who would make your starting XV against Australia?
Use RUCK's interactive England XV selector below to pick your team, compare your choices with other fans and see who makes the most popular starting line-up.
