The latest England squad update has been announced, with a change of two players to Steve Borthwick’s 36-man group. England have assembled for a three-day training camp in York, as they prepare for the final two rounds of the Six Nations Championship.
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Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has withdrawn from the squad, as the wing has to attend a university exam in person. The 21-year-old is studying to become a doctor at the University of Exeter, and will be heading to Devon for a medical exam that he must attend face-to-face. Feyi-Waboso has been replaced by Bath wing Will Muir, who will travel up to Yorkshire in his place.
Elsewhere in the squad, Tom Pearson returns to compete for his second England cap. The Northampton Saints man replaces Ben Curry in the squad, as the Sale Shark picked up an injury during a recent training session. Also, England halfbacks Marcus Smith and Alex Mitchell join up with the squad, to continue their rehabilitation from injury.
The 36-man squad in full:
Forwards:
Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers)
Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
Alex Coles (Northampton Saints)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks)
Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins)
Theo Dan (Saracens)
Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)
Ben Earl (Saracens)
Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby)
Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)
Jamie George (Saracens)
Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers)
Maro Itoje (Saracens)
Joe Marler (Harlequins)
George Martin (Leicester Tigers)
Beno Obano (Bath Rugby)
Tom Pearson (Northampton Saints)
Ethan Roots (Exeter Chiefs)
Will Stuart (Bath Rugby)
Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby)
Backs:
Danny Care (Harlequins)
Elliot Daly (Saracens)
Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints)
George Ford (Sale Sharks)
Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)
George Furbank (Northampton Saints)
Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby)
Will Muir (Bath Rugby)
Max Ojomoh (Bath Rugby)
Harry Randall (Bristol Bears)
Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)
Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby)
Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)
Manu Tuilagi (Sale Sharks)
Four players who’ve been blacklisted by England boss Steve Borthwick
Rumour has it that Head Coach Borthwick has shifted focus from a number of aging stars, who have disclosed their plans for next season.
Zach Mercer
Mercer, has declared that he’s taking a break from England duty for the time being, expressing his disappointment at being excluded from the upcoming Six Nations Championship squad.
Mercer said: “I’ve been open with Steve, I’ve told him my opinions on it. I thought I haven’t really been given a crack which is what I feel like, to not even be given a game to try and prove myself is tough.
“I just don’t feel like he values what I can offer as a player and that’s me being honest, I don’t think he values what I can bring.
“Obviously I don’t fit into the system that he wants to run and, whether I agree with that or not, it is what it is.
“My focus now is on Gloucester and England can take a step aside for the moment.”
Borthwick response:
“Zach and I had a conversation last week. We’ve had a number of conversations over the last couple of weeks with Zach since he’s come back from injury.
“We’ve highlighted areas where players have done well and the areas where they bring a point of difference. It’s a competitive arena.
“And [we highlight] areas where we want them to develop them and add to their game. That’s the same conversation I had with Zach.
“When I’m talking to a player, I’m basing it in objectivity. I’m basing it on targets for them to go after, and then we can shape a shared understanding of what we’re seeing.
“Granted, sometimes as a coach you want something specific in a team, I’m always looking at all the coaches and all the players that are able to provide that.”