England squad: Winners and losers as Bath midfield scrapped for South African reject while four-try fliers snubbed
Ollie Lawrence misses out as Benhard Janse van Rensburg named in England training squad.
Steve Borthwick has named his England squad for a three-day training camp ahead of the inaugural Nations Championship.
Here are our winners and losers:
Winners
Benhard Janse van Rensburg: Probably the biggest story of the lot. After being snubbed by the Springboks for many years, the powerful centre has finally become eligible for England, and will join Bristol Bears teammate Ellis Genge in the England set-up. Despite playing for the South African U20s, he never achieved a full senior cap, with Rassie Erasmus electing to stick with the likes of Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Lukhanyo Am, André Esterhuizen and Canan Moodie in the midfield. But, after completing his five-year residency, the 29-year-old may don the England colours in this year’s global competition.
Charlie Bracken: The versatile Saracens youngster has been in fine form for his club this season, securing the number nine shirt from the outgoing Ivan van Zyl. Able to play on the wing as well, the 22-year-old brings plenty of pace to his side and is expected to follow in the footsteps of his father, Kyran, and become an important member of the senior squad.
Adam Radwan: One of the most exciting wingers in the game, yet he’s never really been given a proper go at international level. His speed is beyond that of even the fastest wide men, and since his transfer to Leicester Tigers, he’s been utterly devastating with ball in hand. Complaints surrounding his overall game have somewhat diminished in recent times, which could see him given a chance to add to his impressive international try-scoring ratio of two per game.
Archie McParland: The Northampton Saints scrum-half has recently secured the number nine shirt from England star Alex Mitchell, which gives a clear indication of the talent that he’s playing with. The 21-year-old was at the heart of Saints’ destruction of Bristol Bears at the weekend, as he showed an incredible aptitude for reading the game and creating opportunities for those around him. This training camp will give Borthwick a chance to understand the young man on a closer level.
Vilikesa Sela: Another youngster who has been utterly devastating in the PREM. The 21-year-old is already an expert scrummager, and is incredibly strong in the tackle – two attributes that the England coach will look for as the old guard of props slowly fade out.
Kepu Tuipulotu: In only his second year as a professional rugby player, the 20-year-old has shown the skillset, not just of a top-class hooker, but as a playmaker, winger, crash-ball centre – you name it, he can do it. Hooker of today’s ilk are required to be just as versatile as any midfielder, and he has it all. With both Jamie George and Luke Cowan-Dickie nearing the end of their careers, he’s in a great position to fight for their shirt.
Alex Dombrandt: At one stage, the Harlequins number eight was the only choice at the back of the scrum. Billy Vunipola was out of favour, and there was no one playing anywhere near the level of rugby that Dombrandt was. That, however, was five years ago. Since then, his place was stripped by flankers Tom Curry and Ben Earl, before Tom Willis came in to make it his own. With Willis now heading to the Top 14 in the summer, Dombrandt has been able to return to the squad. He will need to bring added physicality to the role, however, if he is to make it his again.
Nick Isiekwe: The Saracens man has never really secured the lock position for England. Even when he lined up alongside Maro Itoje in 2022, he never looked particularly comfortable at that level. Now, slightly older and having not played for the senior side since 2024, he has been given yet another chance to show what he can do.
Losers
Ted Hill: Despite all his athletic excellence and versatility, he has once again been excluded from the England squad. Former England prop Dan Cole suggested a while back that Hill doesn’t “suit the way England want to play the game”, but it also must be noted that his lack of starts for Bath must come into conversation, even if that’s simply because of the way in which Johann van Graan uses his bench.
Charlie Ewels: The Bath lock was never guaranteed a spot, but does have a right to be disappointed, particularly considering his impact in Bath’s recent successes. He’s not getting any younger, but with the lack of talent coming through in the second-row, his exclusion does raise eyebrows.
Max Ojomoh: Another Bath exclusion, and this is a biggy. After being utterly dominant in Bath’s recent victory over Newcastle Red Bulls, in which he had a hand in six tries in 20 minutes, he’s been overlooked by Borthwick once again. It’s important to remember he is still only 25 years old, but after excelling in both of his England appearances so far, it’s hard to understand why he’s still not featuring on a regular basis.
Ollie Lawrence: Borthwick’s vendetta with the Bath squad continues, as he drops Ollie Lawrence in arguably the most surprising exclusion. The 26-year-old has perhaps not lit up the PREM as he has in previous seasons, but his powerful ball-carrying cannot be understated, which leads you to wonder if Janse van Rensburg is being primed as his replacement.
Henry Arundell: If scoring four tries in your last game isn’t enough to secure international selection, then you’ve got to wonder what’s going wrong. Questions have been asked about the young winger’s work-rate in the past, so perhaps that’s where the issue lies for Borthwick, because it surely can’t be his attacking ability. Maybe this is the wake-up call he needs.
Harry Randall: It’s a tricky one for the Bears scrum-half. He’s never demanded the nine shirt like others have done before or after him, but with age catching up, and hugely promising young stars coming through, this could be an indication that his time in an England shirt is coming to an end.
George Hendy: The Saints flyer has been one of the most prolific try scorers in PREM and European rugby for a few years now, and after a four-try haul against Bristol at the weekend, he might have thought he’d be in for consideration. As it was, no such luck. But if he continues to perform in such a way, a call-up shouldn’t be too far around the corner.
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