Rugby Union Today: England squad announced and TOTW
Saracens' Ben Earl scores a try during the Gallagher Premiership match at Welford Road, Leicester.
Another busy day in the rugby union game as Eddie Jones named a 34-man squad for the upcoming Six Nations, which included eight uncapped players.
What’s on the site
Ben Earl, George Furbank and Jacob Umaga are among the uncapped players to be selected in the England squad for the Six Nations Championship. There is no Jack Nowell or Billy Vunipola in the 34-man group, however, following injuries sustained at the weekend.
Nowell and Vunipola picked up the issues while playing for their clubs in their respective Champions Cup encounters. Despite those setbacks, both sides qualified for the quarter-finals and have representatives in our Team of the Week.
There are highlights from Round Six on the site, while that competition is also discussed in ‘Who’s hot and who’s not,’ which delves into the main talking points from the past seven days.
What’s in the news
England coach Steve Borthwick will leave his role with the national team at the end of the season after five years in the position, with Jason Ryles coming in as his replacement.
Elsewhere, Zebre hooker Luca Bigi has been named as the new Italy captain, replacing Azzurri great Sergio Parisse, who was omitted from Franco Smith’s Six Nations squad for the opening two matches.
What’s on social media
There are a few red cards to be handed out here…
https://twitter.com/theblitzdefence/status/1218983031077318656
What’s on TV
Following the conclusion of the Champions Cup pool stages, the Premiership returns on BT Sport and they will broadcast Northampton Saints v London Irish, Bristol Bears v Gloucester and Harlequins v Saracens.
The World Rugby Sevens Series is also back and this weekend’s tournament, which is being shown on Sky Sports, comes from Hamilton.