Steve Borthwick has selected a 36-man England squad for the inaugural Nations Championship, with the Red Rose set to begin a new era in the global competition.
Save us to your Google Favourites for nonstop RUCK content!
The squad features five uncapped players – Noah Caluori, Greg Fisilau, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, George Kloska and Vilikesa Sela – while veteran hooker Jamie George will captain the side.
England will assemble at the national team’s Performance Centre at Pennyhill Park before flying to South Africa on Wednesday ahead of their Nations Championship opener against the Springboks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday, 4 July.
Borthwick’s side will then return to England for a unique ‘away’ fixture against Fiji at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool before travelling to Argentina to take on Los Pumas at Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero in Round Three.
Every England match will be shown live on ITV Sport.
Speaking after naming his squad, Borthwick said: “We’ve selected a squad with a good blend of experience and emerging talent.
“The Nations Championship presents an exciting challenge for this group. We will face strong opposition in demanding environments, with extensive travel, and changes in climate all testing the squad throughout the tournament.
“I am sure by preparing well and continuing to demand the highest standards from one another every day, we will be well placed to meet the challenge of a very demanding summer schedule.”
Join RUCK’s Instagram broadcast channel and get the latest rugby news straight to your phone.
Nations Championship squad:
Forwards:
Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers)
Arthur Clark (Gloucester Rugby)
Alex Coles (Northampton Saints)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
Theo Dan (Saracens)
Ben Earl (Saracens)
Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby)
Greg Fisilau (Exeter Chiefs)
Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)
Jamie George (Saracens) – captain
Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers)
Ted Hill (Bath Rugby)
George Kloska (Bristol Bears)
George Martin (Leicester Tigers)
Beno Obano (Bath Rugby)
Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks)
Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby)
Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints)
Vilikesa Sela (Bath Rugby)
Backs:
Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby)
Noah Caluori (Saracens)
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)
George Ford (Sale Sharks)
Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)
George Furbank (Northampton Saints)
Benhard Janse van Rensburg (Bristol Bears)
Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)
Cadan Murley (Harlequins)
Max Ojomoh (Bath Rugby)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby)
Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)
Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers)
Brian Moore picks his England XV
In his latest column for The Telegraph, the former hooker made several bold selection calls, including starting Henry Pollock at No.8, handing Tom Litchfield a Test opportunity and backing Fin Smith to lead England’s backline.
Save us to your Google Favourites for nonstop RUCK content!
Moore believes England are now entering the “final runway” before the 2027 Rugby World Cup, warning that Borthwick’s opportunity to experiment is quickly disappearing.
“His time for experimentation is closing, and he must balance taking risks against chasing wins and the confidence that gives a squad.”
Back three
15. George Furbank
14. Tommy Freeman
11. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
Moore has gone for an exciting and attack-minded back three, favouring George Furbank’s creativity over Freddie Steward’s aerial prowess, while keeping faith with Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso to provide England’s cutting edge out wide.
On Furbank, he wrote:
“Although Freddie Steward’s solidity under the high ball would be welcome at Ellis Park, Furbank gives more options to unlock the Springboks out wide.”
Freeman also keeps his place, although Moore believes England must soon settle on his long-term position.
“At some point Borthwick is going to have to decide whether Freeman’s ability to make good things happen whenever he is on the ball should be limited to the edge or the centre of England’s back line.”
Meanwhile, Moore wants Feyi-Waboso to become one of England’s biggest attacking weapons.
“He should be encouraged to do more work as ‘wild-card carrier’ around the fringes of the breakdown.”
“His power and pace can unsettle defenders used to covering less dynamic ball-carriers.”
Centres
12. Tom Litchfield
13. Max Ojomoh
England’s midfield remains one of Moore’s biggest concerns. He believes Borthwick must finally settle on a centre partnership, backing Tom Litchfield and Max Ojomoh to be given an extended opportunity after impressive Premiership campaigns.
Moore wrote:
“The main one is the continuing merry-go-round that is the England centre partnership.”
He added:
“To… be only one year out from a World Cup and not have even one nailed-on selection is bewildering.”
On Ojomoh, he said:
“His promise deserves an extended series run.”
Explaining Litchfield’s inclusion, Moore added:
“Litchfield is coming off the back of an excellent club season; why not give him a run when you have Northampton team-mates Furbank, Freeman and Smith there.”
Half-backs
9. Alex Mitchell
10. Fin Smith
Moore has stuck with Northampton’s half-back pairing, believing continuity is crucial as England build towards the World Cup. He also feels Fin Smith should now be given every opportunity to establish himself as England’s long-term fly-half.
On Smith, Moore wrote:
“Unless Borthwick intends George Ford to lead England’s backs in Australia, it is preferable for Fin, and Marcus, Smith to get game time.”
Mitchell also gets the nod at scrum-half.
“Mitchell… has the edge over his clubmate Archie McParland when it comes to international experience.”
Moore added:
“Ben Spencer’s know-how is probably preferable for this specific fixture as cover.”
