England head coach Steve Borthwick has updated his training squad, as preparations continue for the upcoming Summer tour to Japan and New Zealand. Borthwick has expanded his squad from a 19 to a 33-man contingent, with additional players from Saracens and Sale Sharks joining the group at Pennyhill Park this morning.
The Saracens and Sale Sharks players have since become available, after the two sides were defeated in their respective Premiership Play Off Semi-Finals last weekend. Amidst the seven Sharks there is a notable return, as Tom Curry is back in the fold following his long stint on the sidelines through injury. Curry’s return to the group comes at the expense of Newcastle flanker Guy Pepper, with the soon to be Bath man the only player not recalled to the squad.
Pepper looks set to miss out on his England test debut for the time being, despite his impressive form in the Premiership and with the England A set-up. Also, their is a notable omission in the form of Saracens playmaker Elliot Daly, who is absent to the squad due to the forthcoming birth of his first child. Borthwick has made appropriate calls to reinforce the ranks, with additional expected call-ups from Northampton Saints and Bath taking place after this weekend’s Premiership Final.
Borthwick will name his finalised squad for the trip to the Far East on June 10th at Twickenham Stadium, two days after Bath and the Saints battle for the Premiership title. Here is the latest squad update from Borthwick and his selector staff, as 33 players join up in Bagshot for the continued training preparations.
Forwards:
Fin Baxter (Harlequins)
Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins)
Ben Curry (Sale Sharks)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
Theo Dan (Saracens)
Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)
Ben Earl (Saracens)
Greg Fisilau (Exeter Chiefs)
Jamie George (Saracens)
Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers)
Nick Isiekwe (Saracens)
Maro Itoje (Saracens)
Joe Marler (Harlequins)
George Martin (Leicester Tigers)
Gabriel Oghre (Bristol Bears)
Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks)
Ethan Roots (Exeter Chiefs)
Rusi Tuima (Exeter Chiefs)
Tom Willis (Saracens)
Backs:
Charlie Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby)
Joe Carpenter (Sale Sharks)
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)
George Ford (Sale Sharks)
Max Malins (Bristol Bears)
Luke Northmore (Harlequins)
Raffi Quirke (Sale Sharks)
Harry Randall (Bristol Bears)
Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)
Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers)
England’s Summer Series:
Japan v England, Saturday 22 June, National Stadium, kick-off 6.50am BST (RugbyPass TV)
New Zealand v England, Saturday 6 July, Forsyth Barr Stadium, kick-off 8.05am BST (Sky Sports)
New Zealand v England, Saturday 13 July, Eden Park, kick-off 8.05am BST (Sky Sports)