"Debut Bound?" - The Seven Uncapped Players in Steve Borthwick's England Training Squad for Summer Tour

A revised England training squad will later be announced following the Premiership Final. Borthwick will then name his finalised squad on June 10th at Twickenham, and there are seven uncapped England hopefuls eyeing up a spot on the upcoming tour. England begin their Summer campaign with a trip out to the Far East, as they take on Japan on June 22nd. This fixture will see England reunited with their former head coach Eddie Jones, as the Australian is now back at the helm of the Brave Blossoms.

Borthwick's men then travel on to New Zealand for a hotly anticipated two-match test series against the All Blacks. England take on New Zealand across the country's two islands, with the first fixture held in Dunedin's Forsyth Bar Stadium, before the tour finale takes place at the spiritual home of the All Blacks, Eden Park in Auckland.

The 19-man squad initially got together on Monday, for the opening days of camp at England's Pennyhill Park training centre. The group has since expanded to a 21-strong contingent, following the additions of veteran props Joe Marler and Dan Cole to the group. Both the Harlequin and Leicester front rowers are fit for selection, and could well be on their way to Japan for the first time since the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final.

Here is a run through of the seven uncapped players in the England squad, that will be hoping to impress Steve Borthwick for the fast approaching Summer Tour of Japan and New Zealand.

A homegrown talent of the Exeter Chiefs academy, 24-year-old Rusi Tuima has received his first call-up into the England senior camp after another impressive season at Sandy Park. Having initially broken into the Chiefs set-up as a back-row forward, Tuima's position was converted to lock for the 2023/24 campaign, in what has been a successful stint in the second row. Tuima has made the Chiefs number four jersey his own this season, with his 19 total starts including getting some crucial Premiership and Champions Cup fixtures under his belt.

Born in Suva, Fiji, test match rugby runs deep within Tuima's family. The nephew of 65-capped Fiji international Akapusi Qera, Rusi's family tree also includes his Red Roses capped sister Lagi, and his England international cousin Joe Cokanasiga. After progressing through the age-grade levels and earning international honours with England, Tuima gained valuable senior rugby experience with dual-contract tenures at Plymouth Albion and the Cornish Pirates, ahead of becoming a Chiefs mainstay. Tuima scored eight of his 15 total Chiefs tries this season, in what marked a significant campaign for the lock.

We stick with the Chiefs for the time being, as back-row bruiser Greg Fisilau joins his Exeter teammate Tuima with test debut hopes set in their sights. At 20-years-old, Fisilau is progressing at an exponential rate in the Exeter back row, after he was picked up following the collapse of his former club Wasps. A Plymouth native, the move to Chiefs was a step closer to home for Fisilau, who has since amassed 32 caps for the Chiefs, and 27 as a starter.

Like his Exeter and England camp teammate Tuima, Fisilau also has test match experience running through his veins. The number eight is the son of former Tongan international Kenni Fisilau, who played centre for the Sea Eagles from 1999 to 2005. Fisilau is still in the relativly early stages of his senior rugby, after making his debut for Wasps in the 2021 Premiership Rugby Cup against Leicester Tigers. Undoubtedly a star for the future, Borthwick could well give the young-gun his shot in the upcoming Summer tour, as the talented eight-man gets prepared to bring the Fisilau name back to the test match stage.

The front row protégé who continues to come into his own, Fin Baxter has been steadily plying his trade with Harlequins under the watchful and raised eyebrows of England prop Joe Marler. The loose-head has said time and again how impressed he has been by Baxter's eagerness to learn and hone his craft, with the 22-year-old picked by many as Marler's successor for when he calls it a day in the England jersey.

Baxter is comfortably amongst the top young props in the Premiership, and is able to hold his own when going toe-to-toe against the league's grizzled tight-heads. The likes of Dan Cole and Kyle Sinckler have both been well matched by Baxter's power and astute technical abilities at scrum-time, with Baxter now given his chance to impress in an England camp and book his spot on the planes to Japan and New Zealand.

Joining Baxter in the upcoming England scrum sessions at Pennyhill Park, Gabriel Oghre comes into the fold to test his metal as a future England test match hooker. Borthwick has established quite a solid pecking order for the number two jersey, with his captain Jamie George firmly stamped on to the starting spot. Young Saracens star Theo Dan only continues to progress, and has taken up the role of match-finishing understudy to his club and country captain.

Oghre comes into the fray to jostle for position against the two Saracens, and cause some selection headaches for Borthwick and scrum coach Tom Harrison. The Bristol front rower knows his way to the try line with six scores this season, and boasts an accurate dart from the side-line to pick out his lifted jumper with ease. Oghre's x-factor is his ability to play in the back-row, and this added versatility could well prove to be a useful asset when the fatigue of a tour begins to set-in for the England players.

The hard-hitting Newcastle Falcons back-row was recently on the cusp of a test match debut, and will be looking to go that one step further than the recent 2024 Six Nations. Pepper is not a stranger to a call up for the red rose, as he has previously been amongst the England U20s scene and made his England A debut last March against Portugal. Pepper was joined by his fellow Falcon Jamie Blamire, for the 91-5 landslide which swept through Welford Road.

After such an impressive outing against Portugal, Steve Borthwick gave Pepper the nod to join in with the preparations for the final week of the 2024 Six Nations. The back-row battled it out with the likes of Ollie Chessum, Ben Earl and Sam Underhill, before sending the senior squad on their way to France for the narrow 33-31 defeat. Pepper has long been a name that England fans have been calling out for, with a fanbase not limited to the most northern club in the Premiership.

It has been a mixed bag for Gloucester Rugby and Charlie Atkinson this season, as the Cherry and Whites had an underwhelming ninth-placed Premiership run, yet reached the final of two additional competitions. Atkinson has been an influential player for the Cherry and Whites this term, with the fly-half leading from the front in the wake of Adam Hastings. Despite not featuring in either of the finals, Atkinson helped guide Gloucester to the Premiership Rugby Cup title, and played a part in getting them over the line and into the EPCR Challenge Cup Final.

Despite being just 22-years-old, Atkinson is a classy outfit that plays with an exuberant confidence of a battle tested veteran. The young halfback has a bright future ahead of him, and is an exciting reminder that England's fly half depth charts go beyond George Ford, Marcus Smith and Fin Smith. Having said that, the standard of positional competition Atkinson faces is significant should he want to make a test match debut this Summer. However, Borthwick could well roll the dice with Atkinson, and look to his England A coach George Skivington for the best way to utilise his Gloucester talisman.

The seventh name rounding off the list of uncapped players, Luke Northmore has received a call-up to the England squad after a stellar season with Harlequins. The versatile centre is adaptable to both the inside and outside channels, and has crossed over for five tries in the famous quarters this campaign. Quins will be looking to further utilise Northmore next season, following the departure of Andre Esterhuizen to EPCR Challenge Cup winners the Sharks.

Harlequins could well have a new England international on their hands when next season comes around, should Borthwick give the 27-year-old the opportunity for a run out in Japan or New Zealand. Northmore also possesses the ability to play on the wing, in a style not too dissimilar to recent England call up and Harlequins teammate Oscar Beard. Northmore's pace is up to the standard of the league's top flyers, and he could well be a valuable multi-tool player to take the 23 shirt against the All Blacks, for a replacement appearence at either centre or out-wide on the wings.