In the mix: Mako Vunipola
England head coach Stuart Lancaster has handed prop Mako Vunipola and hooker Tom Youngs squad calls ahead of their upcoming November Series.
The squad is for the game against Fiji at Twickenham on November 10.
32 players will meet at St George's Park, Burton on Sunday, including James Haskell, Ugo Monye, Mako Vunipola and Tom Youngs - all promoted from the England Saxons Elite Player Squad as injury replacements for Tom Croft, Ben Foden, Alex Corbisiero and Rob Webber respectively.
"As a coaching team we can't wait to go into camp and get the guys focused on what will be a massive challenge in the QBE Internationals - Fiji and then the three major Southern Hemisphere teams in successive weeks," said England head coach Stuart Lancaster.
"We have been impressed with some of the rugby we have seen in the Aviva Premiership and Heineken Cup and are looking forward to the players bringing that form to Twickenham.
"It's great to be able to give Mako a chance in the squad. He has come through our age grade sides and made a real impact at Saracens. Likewise Tom Youngs, who was with us on tour in South Africa, and we know what James Haskell and Ugo Monye are capable of if they get their opportunity."
England will be at the Football Association's new sports training and development centre from Sunday, October 28 to Thursday, November 1 before returning to their usual training base of Pennyhill Park, Bagshot on Sunday, November 4 ahead of the Test against Fiji.
Meanwhile, the England Saxons coaching team has been finalised, with John Fletcher joining as backs coach for the internationals against the Ireland Wolfhounds and Scotland A in the New Year.
The former Newcastle Falcons boss returns to Kingston Park on Friday, February 1 for the match against the Scots, a week after the Saxons face the Wolfhounds in Ireland.
Fletcher, the England U18 Head Coach and RFU's Professional Player Development Manager, will join Head Coach Jon Callard, with Simon Hardy responsible for the forwards.
"We are delighted to have John on board as we focus on winning two demanding games. His expertise working with a wide group of players makes him a perfect fit for England Saxons and he'll bring tremendous passion to the role," said Callard.
Backs: Anthony Allen (Leicester), Chris Ashton (Saracens), Brad Barritt (Saracens), Mike Brown (Harlequins), Danny Care (Harlequins), Lee Dickson (Northampton), Owen Farrell (Saracens), Toby Flood (Leicester), Alex Goode (Saracens), Jonathan Joseph (London Irish), Ugo Monye (Harlequins), Charlie Sharples (Gloucester), Manu Tuilagi (Leicester), Jordan Turner-Hall (Harlequins), Ben Youngs (Leicester).
Forwards: Mouritz Botha (Saracens), Dan Cole (Leicester), Phil Dowson (Northampton), Dylan Hartley (Northampton), James Haskell (Wasps), Tom Johnson (Exeter), Courtney Lawes (Northampton), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Ben Morgan (Gloucester), Tom Palmer (Wasps), Geoff Parling (Leicester), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), Mako Vunipola (Saracens), Thomas Waldrom (Leicester), David Wilson (Bath), Tom Wood (Northampton), Tom Youngs (Leicester).
Comments
TVaddict says...
@jmanngod
I don't know which is stupider, your comment or the fact you think your comment is clever. Doesn't say anything good about education abroad!
Let's just quickly use an example to show why your logic is flawed. Consider a person born into a country, they are registered as born there, but the next day move to a different country never to return and have no genetic ties to the country at all. Are they really from that country?
I'd like you to, as painful as it'll probably be, to open your mind and consider this question. Could he in fact be a New Zealander, a Tongan and English? Not just New Zealander, not just Tongan, and not just English. Madness you say? Well, gone are the days of where we draw a line in the sand and say, "Ug. This us, you them, no mixing. Ug Ug". So why don't we try and grow up consider these situations like adults. Since he has spent more time here (2/3s of his life) and probably has more of an emotional connection to this country he has decided to represent us. End of story folks, but thanks for coming. :)
Posted 10:34 26th October 2012
costa says...
Like to suggest another forum, where people can post and re-post the same old opinions, stating 'facts' in many cases completely incorrect, about eligibility laws.
They are IRB laws. Discussing them here ad infinitum makes this forum such a bore. I read on occasion, any mention of a 'foreign sounding name' and the same garbage spews forth from the same people who may have it set up to cut an paste from last time.
People will blather on about someone's heritage, but where is the educated comment on a player's skills ands abilities, whether, as in this case (and don't even start on Quade Cooper, Mike Harris, Sean Maitland, Tuilagi and so on zzz) he is the best man fr the job, has anyone seen him play for his club, how do they rate him?
Someone dares mention a player might be good, all it gets are nonsense response that the person is over-rated, a cheat, a poached player from somewhere else, not as good as xxxx is/was (but never explained why) and so on. When I see a squad named I want to know who's promising, who was unlucky to miss out, or lucky to be there. Not a rant about their grandmother.
It's like this forum is for 'admin nerds' who don't like the game at all, just like to score a point because their country is better than everyone else. FFS it is sport, an international sport. Equally many of the threads are of a troll-inviting nature, trying to stir up a bit more ignorance and bigotry by being very selective with quoted material, telling only part of the story with a ten word soundbite.
So there you go - a sub forum for bigots - paste your hate mail here!
Posted 09:59 26th October 2012
zambokke says...
A great squad that would be even better if you could get your French based guys involved. I can see England really challenging for the next RWC.
Posted 09:58 26th October 2012
APV1 says...
Intelligent posters - please read this:
Ignore the trolls. They are nobs / knobs / d!cks.
Leave them be. Ignore the comments and let's stick to the rugby.
Trolls - p!ss off you bordering-on-racist pr!cks. England and the UK is a multi-cultural nation and proud of it. We don't judge people on the colour of their skin or where they were born. We care that they are eligible to play for us and want to play for us. (There are some obvious exceptions, as we have our fair share of racist pr!cks too.)
Posted 09:46 26th October 2012
ArmchairGeneral says...
@TV addict. Well said.
Always makes me laugh when S.hem say N.Hem take their people. Historically histerical.
Posted 09:03 26th October 2012
ben7 says...
1.????
2.hartley
3.cole
4.lawes
5.parling/palmer
6.robshaw (c)
7.wood
8.morgan
9.youngs
10.flood
11.ashton
12.barret??
13.tuilagi
14.sharples
15.brown
Posted 04:41 26th October 2012
Sincero says...
jaswai nailed it! BAM... hahaha...
Catfish, Rugby remains England's second sport of choice after wendyball. And England remains the richest union... but also the most well-stocked. You have, unbelievably, a good ten players for every registered Kiwi player... yet you're poaching a squad of southern hemisphere economic migrants? It's astounding how you mismanage your resources as a Union.
Posted 02:45 26th October 2012
Ferdie says...
@ catfish001 - most of the southern hemisphere were picking from nations other than their own
whine whine whine
really? name names! SA in particular have had very few - any? Australia a few in recent times. NZ's are well documented at a grand total 78 (incl a grand total 30 form Pacifi Islands, ever) since 1884 - incl my friend's great-great grandfather born India 1901 - obviously poached!
Posted 02:18 26th October 2012
TVaddict says...
@jaswai
Since you've argued your point to some degree I'll answer you. At what point do 'grassroots' begin? Since some of the players you have mentioned have been here since they were children, I can only assume you mean some time around the point of conception? I'm afraid we have no rugby development for fetuses, sorry about that.
Look mate, Vunipola has been here since he was 7, he's learnt all his rugby here, he's probably received state funded education and healthcare here, he's English. Where he was born matters as little as the colour of his skin in this case. So what tenuous thread is it that your petty point hangs on?
It genuinely makes me feel sick to see opinions like yours. Caveman opinions. Have you considered how horrible it would feel to spend most of your life in a country, dedicate yourself to them, to have someone tell you that you don't belong there? How would the world react if he wanted to play England and we publicly told him, "No, your not from here, go back to where you were born." I hope you can see the ridiculous nature of your comment, at least about him in particular. Heck, if anyone reads this and becomes a little more empathetic and enlightened then I'll be happy with that. Come on people, we're slowly getting rid of racism, this anti-multicultural attitude is the next thing to get rid of. Together we can make this world a better place. I mean, if the rugby fans don't do it, who will? The football fans?! :)
Posted 22:31 25th October 2012
Melkiwi says...
As I've mention in a previous post good on England for selecting him, he is a product of English development. They've put in the time money and recourse into this player so by all rights they have the first pick. Neither tonga or nz contributed to his rugby development so we can't say they poached him, just the same as those who say nz poached guys like mils and kaino because they were developed as rugby player in nz not American Samoa and Western Samoa.
It's good banter and all but some people just go a bit over board. It's professional rugby lets get over it cause its not going to change
Posted 22:06 25th October 2012
kybone says...
BWJC- Is Wade too small in the same way that Shane Williams was too small?jaswai- Some of these lads have lived here since they were kids and have played junior level rugby for England. Its a bit rich of a kiwi to start accusing other nations of having players not from there bareing in mind that Rodney So'oialo, Jerome Kaino, Joe Rokocoko, Sitiveni Sivivatu, and Mils Muliaina all played for NZ at the same time more or less. And there have been plenty of others. The NZ 7's team which lost to Fiji the other week also contained at least 2 fijians. Coaches pick the what they consider to be the best players available to them, regardless of birthplace.
Posted 20:54 25th October 2012
Nastyned says...
Few complaints about this squad, Haskell will add physicality, I do think Johnson misses too many crucial tackles. Am trying not to rise to the trolls but would like to point out that Vunipola came to UK when 8, Tuilagi when 13 and Hartley when 16. The trolls obviously don't get out much so are surprised that people move around the world for work these days so get born in different places to where they end up living.
Posted 19:46 25th October 2012
StunTheMullet says...
The SANZAR Barbarians continues to take shape.
I really wish these countries would stop poaching players from the Pacific Island nation of New Zealand.
Posted 19:41 25th October 2012
jmanngod says...
@Chinstan - He was born in NZ... That IS what I would call a NZ'er. Perhaps you might wish for a dictionary this Christmas so you can get your head around the concept of "definitions"
Posted 19:31 25th October 2012
astrospange says...
To all the humans saying that half the team are from the SH then it is a positive! It shows what a multi cultural country England has become. It is a true sporting nation.
Posted 19:18 25th October 2012
Jediboy says...
BWJC - They said Neil Back was too small for international rugby!!
So I don't buy that one with Wade. He offers a potent attacking threat and that will get harder and harder to ignore.
Posted 19:13 25th October 2012
craigsman says...
For those who like facts, this is from espnscrum:
"Mako Vunipola is set for a bright future in the game both for club side Saracens and England. He had already starred for England's age group sides, winning Grand Slams at Under 18 and Under 20 levels and appearing in the 2011 Junior World Championship final against New Zealand. His father Fe'ao captained Tonga and appeared at the 1995 and 1999 World Cups, moving with his family to Wales in 1998 to play for Pontypool. Mako was educated in Newport, at Castle School, Bristol and at Millfield in Street. He made 33 appearances for Bristol before the switch to Saracens. He progressed through England's age grade sides and was part of the Under 20 EPS in 2009-10 and 2010-11. In the second season he appeared in all England's games at the Junior World Championship in Italy, where they were beaten 33-22 by New Zealand in the final. His younger brother Billy, 19, is a back row forward for London Wasps and the two played together for England at Under 18 level."
So he has had nothing to do with NZ in his rugby life and is one of the many millions of people who choose to make the UK home.
Posted 18:55 25th October 2012
APV1 says...
@ BWJC - they used to say that Jason Robinson was too small as well. I appreciate that Lote Tuqiri could out jump him, but he couldn't catch him...
@ Trader2 - you and carpelone need to meet for a beer. It wouldn't be very good though, a little average and ordinary, one would imagine. ;-)
@ NHsaints - the problem is if we lose and France, Wales and / or Ireland win, we could lose our top 4 spot. Then we'd (probably) have a tougher pool in 2015. There's more at stake than just development for these internationals...
And remember chaps - don't rise to the bait and let's hope the trolls find their supper elsewhere. This is a discussion about rugby selection and form, not nationality.
@ passtheball, jmanngod, rugbylover, Michtymauler & jaswai - please take your nonsense elsewhere (to the IRB, for example), it's not welcome here.
Posted 17:53 25th October 2012
catfish001 says...
Looks like a good squad, only held back slightly by the rules regarding swapping players in and out of the elite/saxons 64, I can see a few more names making a start once the year has passed.
Not sure about Dowson, Monye and Haskell and they are likely to be bench warmers at the very most but thats about it.
I think the days are gone of berating every choice made by the chief
@jaswank Love all the bad words to be said about picking "foreign" players. And the general England bashing on this forum. I remember the days when most of the southern hemisphere were picking from nations other than their own. And it funny how a lot of them have come up through age group rugby and pre professional stuff, but you don't see that do you?
Yes the "Poms" do have the richest rugby union in the world, thanks for pointing that out to us. With so many other sports taking precedence over Rugby Union in this country and us "Poms" being so unbelievably good at all of them, its no wonder all these foreign players want to come and join our nation!
Posted 17:45 25th October 2012
sanka69 says...
@jaswai....so unfunny its not worth typing it!
Posted 17:31 25th October 2012