England's vice-captain, Ellis Genge, has officially declared his absence from the upcoming summer tour led by Steve Borthwick.
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The loosehead-prop sustained an injury during Bristol Bears' recent match against Harlequins, prompting a medical assessment that confirmed his unavailability for England's three-Test tour.
Genge's injury compounds England's pack troubles, with Leicester's Ollie Chessum already sidelined due to shoulder surgery, leaving two key players from the victory over Ireland out of contention for the summer fixtures.
Nevertheless, this setback presents an opportunity for England's head coach, Steve Borthwick, to introduce fresh talent to the squad.
Fin Baxter of Harlequins before the Gallahgher Premiership match between Saracens and Harlequins at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London on 25 March 2023 (Photo: Micah Crook/PPAUK)
Youngster Fin Baxter of Harlequins has impressed throughout the season, alongside Bath's Beno Obano, both vying for potential inclusion in the team.
Genge wrote on X: "Every cloud… obviously gutted to be ruled out of summer tour but get a chance to spend some proper quality time with the family. Thanks for the well wishes."
The 33-man England Squad Steve Borthwick Should Select For Summer Tour
It's been a decade since England's last visit to New Zealand, a challenging 2014 series under Stuart Lancaster resulting in a 3-0 defeat.
The memories of the 2008 tour aren't any sweeter, with England tasting defeat in both Tests against the All Blacks. However, a glimmer of triumph emerged in 2003, as they secured a thrilling 15-13 victory over New Zealand just before the Rugby World Cup.
In this highly anticipated tour, Borthwick's squad will face a formidable challenge with only two tests against the All Blacks, following a clash with Japan in Tokyo.
Here is the list of our predicted squad organised by their current clubs:
RUCK's England squad for the summer:
Harlequins
- Joe Marler
- Fin Baxter
- Chandler Cunningham-South
- Marcus Smith
Bristol Bears
- Harry Randall
- Gabriel Ibitoye
Saracens
- Jamie George
- Theo Dan
- Maro Itoje
- Ben Earl
- Elliot Daly
Northampton Saints
- Curtis Langdon
- Alex Mitchell
- Fin Smith
- Tommy Freeman
- George Furbank
- Ollie Sleightholme
Sale Sharks
- Asher Opoku-Fordjour
- George Ford
Bath
- Will Stuart
- Sam Underhill
- Alfie Barbeary
- Ben Spencer
- Beno bank
- Ollie Lawrence
Leicester Tigers
- Dan Cole
- George Martin
- Freddie Steward
Exeter Chiefs
- Rusi Tuima
- Henry Slade
- Ethan Roots
- Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
Newcastle Falcons
- Guy Pepper
Guy Pepper of Newcastle Falcons during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Match between Bath Rugby and Newcastle Falcons at the Recreation Ground on 14 October 2023. Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK
Gloucester
- Zach Mercer
Final whistle celebrations for Zach Mercer of Gloucester Rugby after beating Leicester Tigers during the Premiership Rugby Cup Final match between Gloucester Rugby and Leicester Tigers at Kingsholm Stadium on March 15th, 2024 in Gloucester, England. Photo by Phil Mingo/PPAUK
