"Debut Squad" - Ultimate XV: England Players On Debut in 2024 Six Nations

One of a rugby player's most important career matches, the international call-up could take place sooner rather than later for this squad of talented youngsters. We have compiled an Ultimate XV of uncapped England candidates, who are have been striving to make the 2024 Six Nations squad and achieve their test match debuts. We have looked across the Premiership, and pieced together a side of the top young talents that are on the cusp of a break-through.

Here is RUCK's Ultimate XV, of uncapped England players that could make their debut in the 2024 Six Nations.

Two Sale Sharks stars kick off our back-three, beginning with Joe Carpenter, who is amongst England's top young full-backs. The 22-year-old has had a rocket-charged push into the starting Sale XV, with the 2022/23 Premiership season being his defying break-out campaign. Carpenter's Sharks career progressed with intermittent loans to Leeds Tykes, where he gained valuable first XV experience against hard-hitting opposition.

Coming in on the right wing is exciting young Exeter Chiefs talent Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who has looked to have closed the door on any potential return to Wales. The Cardiff born wing has long been on Warren Gatland's radar, yet having swapped the Blues for Wasps in 2022, nailed his colours to a future England call-up. Feyi-Waboso found a new home at Sandy Park after the financial collapse of Wasps, and recently attended a pre-competition camp in line with his England hopes for the upcoming Six Nations.

On the left wing we have gone for Tom Roebuck, who could well be on his way to running out for either nation that lies North or South of Hadrian's Wall. Per the latest reports, the Sale man has garnered the interest from Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend, along with Sharks teammates Arron Reed and Gus Warr. The flying wing is eligible to don the tartan due to his heritage, which has increased the pressure on Borthwick to pick Roebuck for England duties, and utilise his talents in the upcoming Six Nations.

Moving onto the centres, and we have opted for the partnership of Harlequins and Gloucester midfielders Will Joseph and Seb Atkison. Beginning with Joseph, the former London Irishman has been breaking new ground at the Stoop this season, and has been a more than capable replacement for the departing Joe Marchant. Joseph has steadily made the 13 jersey his own in the famous quarters, with playmaking expertise coupled with an astute awareness for try scoring opportunities. Joseph's best run out so far came against Sale Sharks, as he scored a brace against the then Premiership leaders.

Seb Atkinson is an exciting young talent who has established himself amongst the senior starting XV of the Cherry and Whites. The 21-year-old plays with a confidence of a far more experienced veteran, and is not afraid to try new things, to lift the roof off the Kingsholm shed end. After breaking onto the Premiership scene at Worcester Warriors in 2020, Atkinson was promptly snapped up by Gloucester, when the Worcestershire side entered financial administration. He has been a proven asset ever since, and enjoys going toe-to-toe with the top centres in England. Atkinson starred in Gloucester's narrow loss to Exeter Chiefs, as he matched Henry Slade in the centre channel, and got over for a try at Sandy Park.

Onto fly half now, and Fin Smith looks primed and ready for an England call-up, after marching the Saints on to the top of the Premiership table. Smith is one of the league's fastest rising talents across any position, and Steve Borthwick is expected to award the 21-year-old with his England debut, after the Northampton man missed out on the Rugby World Cup squad. Couple his outrageous talents with a vacancy amongst the England halfbacks, and Smith would be more than happy to fill the void left by Owen Farrell for the 2024 Six Nations squad.

As mentioned earlier, scrum half Gus Warr is on the radar of both England and Scotland, with Gregor Townsend eager to utilise his talents for the 2024 Six Nations. However, following the international retirement of Ben Youngs, there is a gap in the England scrum half pecking order, that could well open up for Warr, should Borthwick call upon the Sale Sharks man. The 24-year-old packs an explosive first step, and can ship the ball out to his receivers at a rapid rate of knots. Rarely seen a step away from the play, Warr could well be bossing his forwards around for either side, when England travel to Murrayfield to take on Scotland next month.

Moving onto the forwards, and it looks like the future of the England scrum could well come out of the Twickenham Stoop in the foreseeable future. Harlequins have a tremendous conveyer-belt of young English front-rowers coming through, with Nathan Jibulu worthy of an honourable mention. Starting with Fin Baxter, the loose-head prop has been gaining valuable tutelage from veteran England prop Joe Marler, over at Quins. Steadily progressing into a test-match level player, Baxter's engine is his x-factor, and he is rarely seen taking a backwards step in the collision.

Baxter's Quins teammate Sam Riley has also been chipping away for an international call-up, to emulate his fellow Harlequins hooker Jack Walker. Despite not getting a great deal of game time at the Rugby World Cup, Walker's England experience has lifted Riley to match him in training sessions, with Riley now often taking the starting jersey for the weekend. A technically astute scrummager with a dart of a line-out throw, Riley excels at the set-piece and could well get the nod to follow in Walker's footsteps, into the wider England training squad.

Slotting in at tight-head prop is Ehren Painter, who is amongst one of the Premiership's most revered crash-ball carriers. Near unstoppable from a short range drive, at 6ft 4" and 134kg, Painter is a monstrous presence for any defence that travels down to Sandy Park. The Exeter Chiefs man has scored three tries already this season, and quickly settled into life in Devon following his arrival from Northampton Saints. With Kyle Sincker heavily linked with a move to Toulon, and Dan Cole's international future limited at 36-years-old, Painter could well be England's next big thing, and join the power struggle with Will Stuart for the tight-head spot.

In the engine room of our potential England debutants, we have selected two stars of the West Country in Exeter's Rus Tuima and Bristol's Joe Batley. Tuima has been thriving in his move to lock for the 2023/24 season, after initially making his name in the Chiefs squad as a back-rower. Tuima was patient in his break-through at Sandy Park, and his time on loan with Cornish Pirates in the Championship, has had a proven lift to his game for this season. One of the most talked about locks in the league, Tuima's immense physical presence draws in multiple defenders, before his Fijian flair sends his teammates into space with a well-placed off-load. With five tries in the Premiership this season, Tuima is certainly one of the top England locks on the rise.

Joe Batley is one of the older players in our uncapped XV, yet would bring an added edge of experience to the England camp, having been a Premiership player since 2018. Batley began his career with Bristol, and after a series of back and forth moves between Leicester Tigers and Worcester Warriors, he finds himself back with the Bears for the 2023/24 season. At 27-years-old, Batley has bided his time in becoming one of the top Premiership locks to not run out at test match level, despite nailing down the number five jersey in his return to Ashton Gate. At a titanic 6ft 7", Batley is a towering presence at the line-out and often dominates the air-space to win Bristol the ball.

Wrapping up our starting XV in the back-row, and Chandler Cunningham-South is amongst the leading contenders for an England push upon the blindside flank. The versatile back-rower is well equipped to run out at six, seven or eight and was recently awarded international honours with the England U20s squad. The Harlequin was one of a trio of arrivals to move to the Stoop, following the financial collapse of London Irish, and he has been making a name for himself in the famous quarters, along with Will Joseph and Lovejoy Chawatama. Excellent over the ball and a relentless tackling machine, Cunningham-South has long been a fan favourite across South West London.

Newcastle Falcons' Guy Pepper comes in on the open-side flank, with England fans eager to see the back-rower take to the test match stage. One of the Premiership's top defenders, Pepper recently tied Jacque Burger's record for the most tackles in one Premiership match, as he made 34 completed hits against Saracens. Pepper has also impressed on the front foot, with a series of powerful carries taking Newcastle into dangerous positions, most recently with strong carries against Harlequins. As the Falcons are struggling to find form this season, Pepper's England debut could give the North East side the lift they need, to bring home the win at Kingston Park.

Rounding off our starting XV is Bath back-row Alfie Barbeary, who continues to bulldoze his way through the Premiership's top defences. As much attributed to Bath's resurgence than that of Finn Russell or Ollie Lawrence, Barbeary has been shining in blue, black and white, and often leaves his opponents the same colours after a series of bruising collisions. The former Wasps man has scored five tries across all competitions, including an important score in Bath's Champions Cup win against Cardiff. There is fierce contention for England's number eight jersey, yet Barbeary could well get an international calling for Borthwick's side, or perhaps even with the England 'A' set-up.