The opening weekend of Premiership Rugby for 2024 has come to a close, with numerous England hopefuls once again putting their names in contention for a long awaited call-up. We are just under one month away, before England travel over to Rome and begin their 2024 Six Nations campaign against Italy.
With the countdown to the 2024 Six Nations now well underway, England Head Coach Steve Borthwick has to start drafting up his squad lists ahead of the opening weekend. These five talents all did themselves favours, and ran out stunning performances across the weekend in the English top flight.
We now take a break away from Premiership action with a two-week return to the Champions and Challenge Cups. So, before we turn our attention to the scintillating clashes in store across Europe and South Africa, lets have one last glance back at the five England bolters who shot out of the gate last weekend. Here are the five England hopefuls who impressed, in Round 11 of the Gallagher Premiership.
1. Ollie Sleightholme – Northampton Saints
One of the most re-occuring faces in our ‘Top 5 England Hopefuls’ lists, Ollie Sleightholme was once again tearing up trees in the Premiership. Back out on the right wing after a brief run on the left, Sleightholme lit up Sandy Park with a barn-storming hat-trick of tries. After trailing 26-0 to Exeter at half-time, Sleightholme’s trifecta of scores breathed life into the Saints for the dramatic comeback win.
There were numerous honourable mentions from this meeting in Devon, with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso showcasing his tricks to score in the first half, following on from the news that he has opted to chose England over a return to Wales. Sleightholme’s Saints teammates Rory Hutchinson and George Furbank also shone at Sandy Park, in the dramatic 36-42 away victory. Yet we have opted for Sleightholme, who was the star man on the day.
His blistering pace was on full display, and he has been making his try-scoring opportunism a staple of his performances. Six tries in his last six matches, Sleightholme is a try machine and could well be adding another key ‘Six’ to his recent accolades, should he receive a call-up into ‘Rugby’s Greatest Championship’.
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2. Dan Kelly – Leicester Tigers
Dan Kelly set the tone of the afternoon against Saracens, as he raced away to mark the opening try with a score after just 10 minutes. Expertly reading the pass of Owen Farrell, Kelly held his line well and plucked the ball out of the air, before outpacing Lucio Cinti to the Welford Road try-line. Adaptable and dependable, Kelly has long been a reliable name to link up in the Tigers midfield, and could well be on his way to re-unite with Steve Borthwick in the England camp.
Borthwick knows all too well the talents that Kelly presents, having brought the 22-year-old into the Tigers fold amidst loans to Sale Sharks and Loughborough University. Kelly has one England cap to his name, coming in an 80-minute run out against Canada in 2021. Prior to this Kelly earned Ireland age-grade honours, yet could well be on his way back to the England camp after previous involvement in wider training groups. Kelly was sensational against Saracens, and was unfortunate to not score a second try, as Elliot Daly denied the score by the finest of hold ups.
With Joe Marchant out of the England picture and question marks surrounding Manu Tuilagi’s groin injury, Borthwick will be re-shuffling his centres for the Six Nations. Predominantly an inside centre, Kelly could well star with Henry Slade on the outside, in a new-look England midfield.