In a striking revelation from England's rugby camp, head coach Steve Borthwick has unveiled his 36-man ensemble for a crucial three-day training stint ahead of the Autumn Nations Series. The spotlight shines bright on the return of Ollie Lawrence from injury, while notable absences include Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje.
The training camp, set to commence on September 14, will see sessions at the esteemed England’s Performance Centre in Pennyhill Park and at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. Lawrence, the dynamic Bath centre, is back in the fold after a grueling six months recuperating from an Achilles injury sustained during a Six Nations clash against Italy. His premature return, initially slated for December, has been met with enthusiasm from Bath’s head of rugby, Johann van Graan, who remarked on his accelerated recovery.
"If there were a schedule, I would say he’s ahead of it. We’re very happy with him and the national team are very happy with him, he’s one of their best players so there’s been good dialogue,"
Lawrence's comeback was marked by his participation in Bath’s pre-season draw against Munster. Meanwhile, England and Lions captain Maro Itoje is on a managed concussion recovery path following an injury in the final Lions Test in Sydney and has not been included in the current training squad. Farrell, having returned to Saracens after a stint with Racing 92, finds himself overlooked as Borthwick opts for a fresh trio of fly-halves: George Ford, Fin Smith, and Marcus Smith.
Farrell has expressed a focus on regaining his form at Saracens before eyeing an England comeback. The upcoming series will kick off with a match against Australia at Twickenham on November 1, followed by games against Fiji, New Zealand, and Argentina. The squad selection has sparked discussions about the strategic direction under Borthwick’s leadership and the integration of returning players with fresh talent.
England squad Forwards: Fin Baxter, Jamie Blamire, Ollie Chessum, Alex Coles, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Chandler Cunningham-South, Ben Curry, Ben Earl, Charlie Ewels, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Ted Hill, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Guy Pepper, Henry Pollock, Bevan Rodd, Sam Underhill, Tom Willis Backs: Seb Atkinson, Oscar Beard, Fraser Dingwall, George Ford, Tommy Freeman, George Furbank, Ollie Lawrence, Alex Mitchell, Will Muir, Cadan Murley, Tom Roebuck, Henry Slade, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Ben Spencer, Freddie Steward, Jack van Poortvliet Rehabilitation: Tom Curry, Elliot Daly, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Will Stuart, Maro Itoje Not considered for selection: Arthur Clark, Curtis Langdon, George Martin, Luke Northmore, Ollie Sleightholme
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In a striking revelation from England's rugby camp, head coach Steve Borthwick has unveiled his 36-man ensemble for a crucial three-day training stint ahead of the Autumn Nations Series. The spotlight shines bright on the return of Ollie Lawrence from injury, while notable absences include Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje.
The training camp, set to commence on September 14, will see sessions at the esteemed England’s Performance Centre in Pennyhill Park and at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. Lawrence, the dynamic Bath centre, is back in the fold after a grueling six months recuperating from an Achilles injury sustained during a Six Nations clash against Italy. His premature return, initially slated for December, has been met with enthusiasm from Bath’s head of rugby, Johann van Graan, who remarked on his accelerated recovery.
"If there were a schedule, I would say he’s ahead of it. We’re very happy with him and the national team are very happy with him, he’s one of their best players so there’s been good dialogue,"
Lawrence's comeback was marked by his participation in Bath’s pre-season draw against Munster. Meanwhile, England and Lions captain Maro Itoje is on a managed concussion recovery path following an injury in the final Lions Test in Sydney and has not been included in the current training squad. Farrell, having returned to Saracens after a stint with Racing 92, finds himself overlooked as Borthwick opts for a fresh trio of fly-halves: George Ford, Fin Smith, and Marcus Smith.
Farrell has expressed a focus on regaining his form at Saracens before eyeing an England comeback. The upcoming series will kick off with a match against Australia at Twickenham on November 1, followed by games against Fiji, New Zealand, and Argentina. The squad selection has sparked discussions about the strategic direction under Borthwick’s leadership and the integration of returning players with fresh talent.
England squad
Forwards: Fin Baxter, Jamie Blamire, Ollie Chessum, Alex Coles, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Chandler Cunningham-South, Ben Curry, Ben Earl, Charlie Ewels, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Ted Hill, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Guy Pepper, Henry Pollock, Bevan Rodd, Sam Underhill, Tom Willis
Backs: Seb Atkinson, Oscar Beard, Fraser Dingwall, George Ford, Tommy Freeman, George Furbank, Ollie Lawrence, Alex Mitchell, Will Muir, Cadan Murley, Tom Roebuck, Henry Slade, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Ben Spencer, Freddie Steward, Jack van Poortvliet
Rehabilitation: Tom Curry, Elliot Daly, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Will Stuart, Maro Itoje
Not considered for selection: Arthur Clark, Curtis Langdon, George Martin, Luke Northmore, Ollie Sleightholme