England squad: Steve Borthwick adds 13 men to wider group as latest Maro Itoje call made
England head coach Steve Borthwick (left) has called in some key men this week, with Ollie Chessum (right) among them.
England head coach Steve Borthwick has added 13 new faces to his wider 33-man squad ahead of their meeting with France XV on Friday night, as preparations continue for the Nations Championship Tests in July.
These changes come off the back of last weekend’s PREM Rugby semi-finals, with Leicester Tigers and Bath players now available for selection following their defeats; however, Northampton Saints and Exeter Chiefs players are not due to their involvement in Saturday’s final at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
But, the key name still out of the squad is captain Maro Itoje, amid ‘ongoing conversations’ over his involvement in the summer Tests against the Springboks, Fiji and Argentina.
12 players called into England squad ahead of France XV Test
The 13 new faces come entirely from the losing semi-finalists, too. Leicester see Jamie Blamire, Ollie Chessum, Joe Heyes, George Martin, Archie van der Flier, Adam Radwan, Freddie Steward and Jack van Poortvliet called into the wider squad, while Bath’s Charlie Ewels, Ted Hill, Beno Obano, Vilikesa Sela and Max Ojomoh also make the group.
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There is no room for Ben Spencer within this 33-man list, with the scrum-half also tipped for a summer off.
Elsewhere, Will Hobson, Afolabi Fasogbon, Ben Redshaw, Nathan Jibulu and Tobias Elliot all return to their clubs after being involved in the senior squad last week.
Arthur Clark, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Ellis Genge will also remain with the squad for rehabilitation, while Bath’s Guy Pepper will also head into camp as he continues his return to the pitch.
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England XV will take on France XV this Friday (19th June) at the Stade de la Rabine in Vannes, with the match-day squad to be announced later this week.
England XV squad in full
Forwards: Jamie Blamire, Ollie Chessum, Tom Curry, Theo Dan, Alex Dombrandt, Ben Earl, Charlie Ewels, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Ted Hill, Nick Isiekwe, Jack Kenningham, George Kloska, George Martin, Beno Obano, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Vilikesa Sela, Hugh Tizard, Archie van der Flier
Backs: Charlie Atkinson, Seb Atkinson, Noah Caluori, George Ford, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Cadan Murley, Max Ojomoh, Raffi Quirke, Adam Radwan, Harry Randall, Tom Roebuck, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Jack van Poortvliet
Rehabilitation: Arthur Clark, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Guy Pepper