England: Steve Borthwick details context behind snub of in-form Premiership star who plays in ‘competitive arena’
Gabriel Ibitoye has missed out on the 36-man squad for the Autumn Nations Series
England head coach Steve Borthwick has contextualised the reason behind not selecting in-form Bristol Bears ace Gabriel Ibitoye in his squad, saying the back three is a “competitive arena”.
The 26-year-old has been the talk of the town in the past week following his sensational nine-minute hat-trick against Exeter, but he has been one of the standout performers in the Premiership for some time now.
He led the way for metres and defenders beaten for the 2023/24 campaign and topped the charts for metres made and tries for last weekend’s round of fixtures too.
“It’s a competitive arena”
Ibitoye faces stern competition for a place in England’s squad at the moment, with Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso Borthwick’s current pairing, and underneath that, the likes of Ollie Sleightholme, Tom Roebuck and even Freddie Steward and Elliot Daly are all options to play on the wing.
Speaking on BBC Five Live’s Rugby Union Weekly Podcast, the England boss detailed how the back three is a particularly “competitive arena”, but also lauded the form of Ibitoye.
“We’ve got a lot of good players in that back three as you look at it now,” said Borthwick. “He’s certainly playing really well, and Bristol have started the season playing some good rugby.
“But, if you look at the players in the squad currently, we have some really good players there, the likes of Tommy Freeman, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Ollie Sleightholme and Tom Roebuck. We’ve got good wingers, so it’s a competitive arena.”
“I would like to pick a lot of players”
Ibitoye isn’t the only player who can feel hard done by not to be involved in England‘s Autumn Nations Series.
Tom Willis, Beno Obano, Gabriel Oghre and Ethan Roots are just some of the notable omissions from Borthwick’s squad this time around, but the Red Rose boss revealed how he has “regular conversations” with his coaching team to decide the 36-man squad.
“This is a conversation I have with my coaches regularly about who’s in the frame for selection right now and what do they need to do to move forward,” Borthwick admitted.
“That’s a regular conversation, and there are a number of players I’m contacting regarding selection. I would like to pick a lot of players, unfortunately, there are only 36 I can pick in the squad.”
Borthwick and his chosen charges prepare for four huge Tests, beginning with the All Blacks on November 2, before facing Australia, South Africa and Japan later in the month.
