SECOND ROW
4. Joe Joyce (Connacht)
5. David Ribbans (Toulon)
Onto the second row, and we begin with English-born lock Joe Joyce who is currently plying his trade for Connacht. Joyce is Irish qualified and has worn the famous green jersey for the U20s, however he has not yet received a full international cap. His recent departure from Bristol Bears to the Irish province closed the door on any England call-up, with the ‘King of Mead’ considered a fan favourite during his time at Ashton Gate. With over 150 appearances for Bristol in a tenure that dated back to 2014, Stuart Lancaster, Eddie Jones and Steve Borthwick all overlooked Joyce’s talents for England duty.
As hard-hitting as they come, Joyce punched holes through the Premiership’s defences like his boxing namesake does in the ring. He’s settled into life back in Ireland, with four Connacht caps promptly under his belt after the first four rounds of URC action. Packing down the scrum alongside Joyce is David Ribbans, who is amongst the latest departures from Steve Borthwick’s side. A relatively underused reinforcement at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Ribbans still boasts plentiful talent and will be missed by the Northampton Saints and England faithful.
Knocked down the pecking order by the likes of Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum and George Martin, Ribbans looked to have achieved all which he could in an England jersey in his move to Toulon. The South African born Ribbans made 11 caps for England, and a staggering 121 appearences for Northampton Saints. He arrived at Franklin’s Gardens in 2017 from Western Province, as he left the Cape Town club for Premiership opportunities. One of the hardest workers in green and black, Ribbans heads to Toulon and made his debut last weekend against Racing 92.
BACK ROW
6. Dave Ewers (Ulster)
7. Jack Willis (Toulouse)
8. Sam Simmonds (Montpellier)
Our back-row features two former Exeter Chiefs players, who also left Sandy Park at the end of the 2022/23 Premiership season. It truly was the end of an era in Devon, as Dave Ewers and Sam Simmonds added further vacancies in the Chiefs pack. Starting with Ewers, the Zimbabwean-born back-rower had a brief call-up into the England squad, and has actually taken to the pitch in a non-recognised test match. Ewers played for England against the Barbarians in a 2014 exhibition, before being an unused training squad member for the 2016 Six Nations.
Ewers ends an incredible 13-year run at Exeter Chiefs, that saw him rack up a total of 236 appearances. Sam Simmonds made his Chiefs break-through a year after Ewers, and went on to make 131 Exeter Caps, before he too agreed a move to France. Simmonds joined Montpellier along with Exeter teammate Harry Williams, and holds an impressive Premiership record following his exit from the league. Simmonds scored a colossal 20 tries in the 2020/21 Premiership season, setting a record for players in the English top flight.
Frustratingly overlooked by England during his Premiership peak, Simmonds made three appearances in the 2017 Autumn Internationals, before going unused by Eddie Jones for four years. However, the number eight’s talents were recognised by Warren Gatland, who handed Simmonds a British and Irish Lions cap on the 2021 Tour to South Africa. Wrapping up our starting side is Jack Willis, who’s Rugby World Cup campaign came to an unfortunate end through a late neck injury.
The World Cup was always going to be the end of the England road for Willis, after the flanker extended his contract with Toulouse in the Summer. The door is now shut on the former Wasps man, with his brother Tom keeping himself in-line for a call-up, after moving from Bordeaux to Saracens. Jack Willis’ England career was a rollercoaster, so full of promise yet curtailed by a nasty knee injury that kept him out of action for over a year. Willis is hitting his stride as a Top 14 Champion in Toulouse, and could well bring a sharpened skill-set back to the England side in years to come.
REPLACEMENTS
16. Cameron Neild (Edinburgh)
17. Harri O’Connor (Scarlets)
18. James Kenny (Ospreys)
19. Elliot Stooke (Montpellier)
20. Junior Kpoku (Racing 92)
21. Andy Uren (Benetton)
22. Jacob Umaga (Benetton)
23. Christian Wade (Racing 92)