England squad: Noah Caluori one of two uncapped players included for Autumn Nations Series as in-form Leicester Tigers star misses out
Noah Caluori and Jack Kenningham are named in the England squad.
England head coach Steve Borthwick has named his squad for the 2025 Autumn Nations Series, with the uncapped Noah Caluori included in a 36-player group.
Caluori was last week invited to a three-day training camp with England at Pennyhill Park, this after a development agreement with his club side Saracens was struck.
It appears the wing has suitably impressed Borthwick and his coaching team and been named as one of 17 backs ahead of England‘s opening fixture against Australia.
Henry Arundell named
Also selected in the backline are fellow wings Henry Arundell, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Cadan Murley, Tom Roebuck and Tommy Freeman, who can also play centre.
There are three fly-halves in the squad as George Ford is joined by Fin Smith and Marcus Smith while Alex Mitchell, Ben Spencer and Raffi Quirke are number nines.
The midfield options include Fraser Dingwall, Ollie Lawrence, Max Ojomoh, Henry Slade and the aforementioned Freeman, with full-back Freddie Steward also in.
Borthwick’s forwards include Tom Curry, Chandler Cunningham-South, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Guy Pepper and another uncapped player, flanker Jack Kenningham.
There’s no place in the squad for in-form Leicester Tigers back-row Emeka Ilione, who has been ruled out with a shoulder injury, with Alex Dombrandt also unavailable.
England’s Autumn Nations Series campaign kicks off on Saturday with a game against the Wallabies at Allianz Stadium before they host Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina.
“Selecting this squad is an exciting step in our preparations for the Quilter Nations Series, and we look forward to working with the players again in the coming weeks,” said Borthwick.
“Our focus is on making the most of the time we have together as we approach what will be a fiercely competitive series.
“Facing Australia in the opening match will be a great test against a team that has been training and playing together for some time and is one of the in-form teams in the world.”
England squad
Forwards: Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers), Alex Coles (Northampton Saints), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks), Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), Theo Dan (Saracens), Ben Earl (Saracens), Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears), Jamie George (Saracens), Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), Jack Kenningham (Harlequins), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks), Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby), Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints), Will Stuart (Bath Rugby), Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby)
Backs: Henry Arundell (Bath Rugby), Noah Caluori (Saracens), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs), George Ford (Sale Sharks), Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints), Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby), Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints), Cadan Murley (Harlequins), Max Ojomoh (Bath Rugby), Raffi Quirke (Sale Sharks), Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Fin Smith (Northampton Saints), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby), Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)
Rehabilitation: Elliot Daly (Saracens), George Martin (Leicester Tigers), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers).
Not considered for selection: Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby), Arthur Clark (Gloucester Rugby), Ben Curry (Sale Sharks), Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins), Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby), George Furbank (Northampton Saints), Ted Hill (Bath Rugby), Emeka Ilione (Leicester Tigers), Curtis Langdon (Northampton Saints), Will Muir (Bath Rugby), Harry Randall (Bristol Bears), Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints)