England announce squad for the Autumn Internationals: Big names miss out

Caluori attended a three-day England training camp at Pennyhill Park last week after a development agreement with his club was reached. His performances clearly impressed Borthwick and his coaches, earning him a spot among 17 backs ahead of England’s opening clash with Australia.

Joining Caluori in the backline are wings Henry Arundell, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Cadan Murley, Tom Roebuck, and Tommy Freeman, who can also cover centre.

England’s three fly-halves are George Ford, Fin Smith, and Marcus Smith, while Alex Mitchell, Ben Spencer, and Raffi Quirke form the scrum-half contingent.

Midfield options include Fraser Dingwall, Ollie Lawrence, Max Ojomoh, Henry Slade, and Freeman, with Freddie Steward holding down full-back duties.

Borthwick’s forwards feature Tom Curry, Chandler Cunningham-South, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Guy Pepper, and uncapped flanker Jack Kenningham.

Notably absent are Leicester Tigers back-row Emeka Ilione, ruled out with a shoulder injury, and Alex Dombrandt, also unavailable.

England kick off their Autumn Nations Series against Australia at Allianz Stadium on Saturday before hosting Fiji, New Zealand, and Argentina.

“Selecting this squad is an exciting step in our preparations for the Quilter Nations Series, and we look forward to working with the players again in the coming weeks,” said Borthwick.

“Our focus is on making the most of the time we have together as we approach what will be a fiercely competitive series.

“Facing Australia in the opening match will be a great test against a team that has been training and playing together for some time and is one of the in-form teams in the world.”

Forwards: Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers), Alex Coles (Northampton Saints), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks), Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), Theo Dan (Saracens), Ben Earl (Saracens), Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears), Jamie George (Saracens), Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), Jack Kenningham (Harlequins), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks), Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby), Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints), Will Stuart (Bath Rugby), Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby)

Backs: Henry Arundell (Bath Rugby), Noah Caluori (Saracens), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs), George Ford (Sale Sharks), Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints), Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby), Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints), Cadan Murley (Harlequins), Max Ojomoh (Bath Rugby), Raffi Quirke (Sale Sharks), Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Fin Smith (Northampton Saints), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby), Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)

Rehabilitation: Elliot Daly (Saracens), George Martin (Leicester Tigers), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers)

Not considered for selection: Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby), Arthur Clark (Gloucester Rugby), Ben Curry (Sale Sharks), Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins), Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby), George Furbank (Northampton Saints), Ted Hill (Bath Rugby), Emeka Ilione (Leicester Tigers), Curtis Langdon (Northampton Saints), Will Muir (Bath Rugby), Harry Randall (Bristol Bears), Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints)

From debutants struggling to find their feet to seasoned internationals looking out of sorts, these five players had weekends they’ll want to move on from quickly.

Making his long-awaited Gloucester debut after a foot injury suffered with England U20s, Redshaw got a bruising reminder of Premiership reality.

The young full-back was brutally bumped off by Immanuel Feyi-Waboso for Exeter’s opening try and found himself on the back foot defensively all afternoon.

While he did show good awareness covering a clever grubber in behind, the overall impression was of a player still adjusting to the physicality and pace of senior rugby. Promising, but clearly a work in progress as Gloucester were hammered 39–12 at Sandy Park.

The hooker’s hopes of an England recall took another hit as Newcastle were thrashed 52–14 by Harlequins. McGuigan worked hard but made little headway in the loose and couldn’t steady an overwhelmed set-piece.

With Theo Dan, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Tom Dunn all impressing elsewhere, this was a timely but worrying reminder of how far down the pecking order he’s slipped.

At 32, McGuigan needed a big performance to reignite his international ambitions, but instead looked part of a pack that simply couldn’t cope with Quins’ tempo or power.

A disastrous afternoon for the England skipper-in-waiting as Saracens were torn apart 43–31 by Northampton. Farrell looked off the pace from the start — his kicking radar was misaligned, his decision-making flat, and his trademark intensity never quite arrived.

Saints’ backline played with flair and speed while Farrell and his teammates struggled to contain them. For a player of his stature, this was a worrying display in a match tailor-made for statements.

With England’s midfield competition heating up, Farrell will know he can’t afford too many more anonymous outings like this.

Another frustrating weekend for the once-hyped scrum-half. Quirke came off the bench in Sale’s dramatic 36–35 defeat to Leicester but couldn’t stamp his authority on the contest.

His service was tidy and he did produce one moment of class to set up Tom Roebuck’s try, but flashes aren’t enough anymore. Injuries and inconsistency have stalled his progress, and with England’s No.9 shirt fiercely contested,

Quirke’s path back to the top looks distant. Sale fans know how good he can be — they’re just waiting to see it again consistently.

Returning to the starting XV after a head injury, Genge began brightly by winning an early scrum penalty against England rival Will Stuart.

Unfortunately, that was as good as it got. Bath dominated the collisions and breakdown as Bristol crumbled 40–15 at The Rec. Genge’s frustration was visible, but he couldn’t turn the tide for his side. His passion is never in doubt, but his influence was minimal as the Bears’ pack was outmuscled.

For a player aiming to cement his England spot, this was far from the commanding performance expected.