England: Steve Borthwick names 14 uncapped players in 33-man squad
Steve Borthwick watching England in the 2024 Autumn Nations Series
England head coach Steve Borthwick has named 14 uncapped players in his initial 33-man squad to begin preparations for the upcoming Test against France XV.
The squad, which will take part in a two-day training camp this week, does not feature any players from European finalists Bath or Northampton Saints, or any of the 13 English players selected for the British and Irish Lions tour.
Borthwick’s side begin their international summer with a match between an England XV and a France XV on Saturday, June 21.
Steve Borthwick names 33-man squad
The major talking point of this initial England squad selection are the uncapped players named within the side, with Borthwick rewarding Premiership form.
Bristol Bears duo Joe Batley and Gabriel Oghre are named, alongside Exeter Chiefs forward Richard Capstick. Gloucester see four uncapped players in the form of Arthur Clark, Charlie Atkinson, Seb Atkinson and Afolabi Fasogbon, while Quins have three uncapped players as Oscar Beard, Luke Northmore and Jack Kenningham also make the 33.
Leicester Tigers’ Emeka Ilione has also seen his impressive form of late rewarded with a call-up, as has Saracens flyer Tobias Elliott. Sale Sharks duo Rekeiti Ma’asi-White and Joe Carpenter are also named after some stellar performances lately.
Elsewhere in the squad, Exeter Chiefs winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso makes his return to the squad after overcoming a shoulder injury which has kept him out since December, and Alex Dombrandt and Nick Isiekwe also return to the squad after missing the Six Nations.
Raffi Quirke also returns to the squad after a lengthy spell away due to injuries. He won the last of his Test caps in 2022.
George Ford and Jamie George also look likely to be among the leadership contenders for this summer after missing out on Andy Farrell’s initial Lions selection, and Henry Slade could also be an option, given his experience at Test level.
Harlequins’ Chandler Cunningham-South and Leicester Tigers’ George Martin will also be with the squad for rehabilitation on their respective injuries.
England 33-man squad in full
Forwards: Joe Batley, Fin Baxter, Richard Capstick, Arthur Clark, Ben Curry, Theo Dan, Alex Dombrandt, Afolabi Fasogbon, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Emeka Ilione, Nick Isiekwe, Jack Kenningham, Gabriel Oghre, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Bevan Rodd, Tom Willis
Backs: Charlie Atkinson, Seb Atkinson, Oscar Beard, Joe Carpenter, Tobias Elliott, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, George Ford, Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, Cadan Murley, Luke Northmore, Raffi Quirke, Harry Randall, Tom Roebuck, Henry Slade, Freddie Steward, Jack van Poortvliet
