England have selected a 36-man squad for the Autumn Nations series in which they will play New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan. There are several players who are unavailable due to injury. They include: Ollie Chessum, Alex Mitchell, Fraser Dingwall, Will Muir and Bevan Rodd as well as a few others. England have been able to go very close against the top 4 teams in the world but have only produced one win which came against Ireland in the Six Nations.
Loosehead Prop:
Joe Marler
Ellis Genge
Fin Baxter
This was a fairly easy selection for Steve Borwthwick. The other potential contenders were Beno Obano and the injured Bevan Rodd who may have been able to make a push had he not been injured. The interesting question for Steve Borthwick is who will start in the 1 shirt. Ellis Genge has been given a central contract and is a leader in the squad so he is likely to be in the 23. Fin Baxter acquitted himself excellently in New Zealand this summer and has continued his form this season for Harlequons where he regularly starts ahead of Joe Marler. But will England opt for experience in matches against the All Blacks and Springbocks?
Hooker
Jamie George
Theo Dan
Luke Cowan-Dickie
Curtis Langdon, Jamie Blamire and Gabriel Oghre are all surely close to Luke Cowan-DIckie for a spot in the England squad but the Sale hooker brings solidity and experience to the squad with the ability to be reliable should he be called upon. Jamie George is the captain so will start the big games and Theo Dan will bring energy from the bench. Dan has been starting ahead of George at Saracens but that will play no part in England selection decisions. It will be interesting to see how much time Theo Dan is given on the pitch in the games against New Zealand and South Africa as he has often been kept on the sidelines for a loong time in tight international games. Perhaps his continued form has earned him some more trust from Steve Borthwick.
Tighthead Prop
Will Stuart
Dan Cole
Trevor Davison
Will Stuart has managed to earn over fourty England caps without necessarily nailing down his spot in the starting 23. Dan Cole is still a key part of this England team despite being 37 and Trervor Davison has a huge opportunity to prove to Borthwick that he can be a long term part of this team. This was a position where no central contracts were handed out which speaks to the lack of options in the squad but there are reinforcements on the horizon; Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Afo Fasogbon are exciting younsters who will surely enter the squad in the near future and can provide stability at the position for years.
Second row
Maro Itoje
George Martin
Nick Isiekwe
Alex Coles
Ollie Chessum misses out due to a late injury and is replaced by the just-recovered Alex Coles who is probably the fourth-choice lock. Maro Itoje will undoubtedly be picked alongside the powerhouse, George Martin. Nick Isiekwe will likely be on the bench and will be boosted by his versatility due to his ability to play at blindside flanker.
Back row
Alex Dombrandt
Ben Earl
Ted Hill
Tom Curry
Sam Underhill
Ben Curry
Chandler Cunningham-South
The back row is arguably England's strongest position group alongside fly-half. That is perhaps best summarised by the players who can't get into the sqaud: Zach Mercer, Tom Willis, Tpm Pearson, Guy Pepper and will Evans are all on the outside but could all be international-level players if given the chance. One player who has been given a late chance is Bath star, Ted Hill who was unlucky to be excluded from the original squad and will now have a tough time getting minutes given that the 6 shirt is currently owned by the monster that is Chandler Cunningham-South who has cemented a spot in the England team despite having limited club experience. He really does epitomise the term 'test match animal'. Sam Underhill will have a battle with Tom Curry for the openside flanker spot with Ben Earl almost guaranteed to start at no.8.
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