17 of the England squad heading to South Africa went to fee-paying schools.
While that number still represents a slight majority it is an improvement on previous squads as the sport seeks to reach out to a wider proportion of society.
That means 16 of the squad did not pay for their education, which is a healthy increase from the Rugby World Cup in 2015 when that figure was only 10.
Despite improvement, there is still though a strong public school spine to England’s team, as there always has been – but who went to the most expensive school? You might be surprised.
Mike Brown, Harlequins, Full Back: Wyvern College, Wiltshire (free)
Danny Cipriani, Wasps, Fly-half: Whitgift School, Croydon (£35,522)
Luke Cowan-Dickie, Exeter Chiefs, Hooker: Mount's Bay School (free)
Tom Curry, Sale Sharks, Flanker: Bishop Heber High School (free)
Elliot Daly, Wasps, Centre: Whitgift School, Croydon (£35,522)
Ben Earl, Saracens, Number 8: Tonbridge School (£12,988)
Nathan Earle, Saracens, Winger: Sutton Valence School (£7,135)
Owen Farrell, Saracens, Fly Half: St George’s School, Hertfordshire (£11,175)
George Ford, Bath, Fly Half: St George’s School, Hertfordshire (£11,175)
Ellis Genge, Leicester Tigers, Prop: John Cabot Academy (free)
Jamie George, Saracens, Hooker: Haileybury, Hertfordshire (£30,900)
Jonny Hill (Exeter Chiefs, Lock: Ludlow Church of England School (free)
Nathan Hughes, Wasps, Number 8: Kelston Boys’ High School (free)
Nick Isiekwe, Saracens, Lock: Nicholas Breakspear School (free)
Maro Itoje, Saracens, Lock: St George’s School, Harpenden (£11,400)
Joe Launchbury, Wasps, Lock: Christ’s Hospital, West Sussex (£30,450)
Alex Lozowski, Saracens, Fly-half: Watford Grammar School for Boys (Free)
Joe Marler, Harlequins, Prop: Heathfield Community College, East Sussex (Free)
Jonny May, Gloucester, Winger: Hartpury College, Gloucestershire (£14,500)
Chris Robshaw, Harlequins, Flanker: Millfield, Somerset (£34,650)
Dan Robson, Wasps, Scrum-half: Newcastle-under-Lyme High School (free)
Brad Shields, Hurricanes/ Wasps, Flanker: Taita College (free)
Sam Simmonds, Exeter Chiefs, Number 8: Teignmouth Community College (free)
Kyle Sinckler, Harlequins, Prop: Graveney School, London (free)
Henry Slade, Exeter, Fly Half: Plymouth College, Plymouth (£27,765)
Denny Solomona, Sale Sharks, Winger: St Peter's College, Auckland (free)
Ben Spencer, Saracens, Scrum-half: Bramhall High School (free)
Billy Vunipola, Saracens, No 8: Harrow School, London (£36,150)
Mako Vunipola, Saracens, Prop: Millfield, Somerset (£34,650)
Harry Williams, Exeter, Prop: Whitgift School, Croydon (£35,522)
Mark Wilson, Newcastle, Flanker: Kirkbie Kendal School (free)
Jason Woodward, Gloucester Rugby, Fullback: St. Patrick's College (£6,770)
Ben Youngs, Leicester, Scrum Half: Gresham’s School, Norfolk (£31,950)
COLLECT PIC 181110 BEN YOUNGS AGED 14 GRESHAMS SCHOOL TEAM CAPTAIN[/caption]
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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