England: Seven players who could make their Test debuts in 2026 with Steve Borthwick ‘spoilt for choice’
Steve Borthwick (left), could pick either Noah Calouri (centre) or Archie McParland (right) this summer
England head coach Steve Borthwick faces a number of crucial calls ahead of their inaugural Nations Championship Tests against the Springboks, Fiji and Argentina.
The national side is arguably at a crossroads in the build-up to their July campaign, with Borthwick’s position under real threat following their worst-ever Six Nations campaign in terms of losses and points, and that could lead to a refreshing of the wider squad.
Should Borthwick look to bring in some uncapped players, he is spoilt for choice. There are a number of red-hot performers across the English domestic game pushing their case for a call-up this summer. But which ones should be under the most serious consideration? Here’s our take on the leading eight.
Noah Caluori
After previously flirting with the senior squad back in November, earning a call-up into Borthwick’s wider Autumn Nations Series squad, it seems Noah Caluori will be right in the mix for the summer tour as well.
The Saracens flyer has really matured in recent months after bursting onto the scene at the backend of the last calendar year, keeping all of his X-factor qualities. His work in the air is arguably the best in the PREM, quickly becoming a key part of Saracens’ attack in the process, but he also backs that up with raw pace and quick feet to both gas and beat defenders for fun.
Crucially, Caluori seems to be playing with real confidence at the moment, and that is something you need to make the most of with young players. It seems as good a time as any to bring him back into the Test environment, keep him developing and potentially look at capping him at some point over the tour.
Archie McParland
Scrum-half is a loaded area for England right now, but Archie McParland’s form deserves to be rewarded with a spot on the tour. The Northampton scrum-half has had to bide his time at senior level, finding himself behind Alex Mitchell in the Saints’ pecking order, but he has exploded to life in recent weeks following an enforced run in the side.
McParland, as you would expect, plays in a very similar way to Mitchell, and that is certainly putting him in a good light. He’s zippy around the fringes of the ruck, drawing in defenders while extending the play to create those pockets of space, but he also likes to inject tempo into every attack and really get Saints on the front foot.
England have also shown they will likely play a more attack-minded game plan moving forward, and that style of nine fits the mould perfectly. Like Caluori, McParland is also growing massively in confidence, which just makes it all the more beneficial to bring him into the Test environment.
George Kloska and Afo Fasogbon
Tighthead is England’s main injury area looking towards the summer, which could lead to Borthwick testing out his full depth chart with both George Kloska and Afo Fasogbon. Both men have spent time in the environment in the past year, with Kloska coming into the wider Six Nations squad part-way through the Championship and Fasogbon going on last July’s summer tour of the Americas.
Crucially, both have been in great form for their club sides in recent weeks. Bristol man Kloska has arguably been the in-form tighthead in the PREM since the post-Six Nations return, chucking his body around in the loose while also locking down the scrum, while Gloucester’s Fasogbon has also shown his quality at scrum-time too in a dominant display against Exeter.
Their set-piece work will certainly have caught the eye of Borthwick and scrum coach Tom Harrison looking towards the summer, with their attacking approach very much mimicking what England will want out of their tightheads in that department.
With both Bath’s Will Stuart and Northampton’s Trevor Davison out long-term, this is a great chance to give them an England shot and really test out the full depth chart, but it’s also no sympathy call-up for either man.
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Tom Lockett
Potentially a left-field call considering England are pretty well stocked at lock and are trying to shift the likes of Ted Hill and Chandler Cunningham-South into their depth chart here, but Tom Lockett is another Saints player who has skyrocketed his way up into the conversation in recent weeks.
Like teammate McParland, Lockett has really taken his chance in the starting Northampton line-up following an injury to Alex Coles, quickly becoming a key man in their pack. He also possesses all the skills Borthwick wants from his locks, hard work and graft around the loose and strong set-piece skills to go with it, and would seemlessly fit into the mix.
While England are pretty set at lock right now, and that’s without mentioning the probable return of George Martin either in the summer or in November, bringing Lockett in could be a really good way of future-proofing the position. The Saints lock is still only 23 and has his best rugby ahead of him, but giving him that international exposure now could really help him long-term.
Lockett has been in and around the England picture for a while now, too, notably featuring for England A, but has yet to make his senior bow. Could this change in the summer?
Alfie Barbeary
The Bath man has been almost an ever-present on lists like these since his switch to The Rec a few years ago, but this is arguably his best chance at finally getting that elusive cap. Barbeary is in the form of his life right now and it is form that has propelled him onto the final five-man shortlist for the Investec European Player of the Year award.
His displays are certainly something that should be in Borthwick’s mind, but Barbeary’s skill set will also suit England’s new-look game plan.
His power in the carry and his desire to truck it up in tight spaces is something England are desperately after to take the load off Ben Earl, but Barbeary also backs that up with really explosive outputs in broken field as well. The number eight is also really good at extending plays with his offloading out of contact, which again could really help drive England’s attack forward.
Crucially, Barbeary was also a key cog in Lee Blackett’s system during his time at Bath and with the England assistant now being given the proper freedom he needs to run the ball-in-hand show, it could prompt Borthwick to give the back-rower a call.
Kepu Tuipulotu
England need to start looking towards the future at hooker, with both Jamie George and Luke Cowan-Dickie coming towards the end of their illustrious Test careers, so capping Kepu Tuipulotu this summer could go a long way towards that.
The Bath man has really taken to life in senior rugby, becoming a mainstay in his club’s 23-man squad and impressing in whatever role he is used in. Tuipulotu’s real strength is ball-in-hand, where he can use his power and quick feet to good use, but he also plays with genuine creativity that England are missing in their pack right now.
The hooker is still developing at this level but like a lot of players on this list, giving him the exposure now will only help his development and help England’s long-term planning at hooker. He will likely win many, many caps and this summer could be a great way to start him off.