5 big misses from England's training squad

1. Tom Pearson

The Saints back row has been on the verge of England selection for a while without quite cracking the squad. Given that Curry and Earl are unavailable, his exclusion seems strange to say the least. He has been a crucial player for Northampton and has recently returned to full fitness. Pearson would bring carrying ability and all-round power that England could lack with their current forward options.

2.Emeka Ilione

This is another puzzling back row omission. Ilione has been on the periphery of the England squad for a while and is currently playing the best rugby of his career. With that in mind, his inclusion seemed, to me at least. to be a forgone conclusion. That was not the case so the youngster will have to bide his time whilst sitting at home watching a potential opportunity pass by him.

3.Rekeiti Ma'asi-White

Ma'asi-White has become a stalwart of the Sale Sharks line-up and looked to be perfectly suited to stepping into the England team for an experimental game, or two. He is a legitimate inside centre, which is something England have missed, and he would bring some much-needed power to the midfield. In his place, Dingwall and Atkinson will likely compete for the position.

4.Joseph Woodward

Woodward. like Ma'asi-White, is a young, inside-centre who could fix a lot of England's problems if given the chance - obviously, he was not given that chance. He, like Ma'asi-White has become the go-to man at inside centre for his top-four club. One difference between the two is their style of play; Ma'asi-White is a direct, powerful runner whilst Woodward excels as a distributor and second receiver. Either one of them could have been selected and both are unlucky to miss out.

5.Owen Farrell

This is a rogue one - obviously no one was expecting Borthwick to include Farrell in this squad, particularly after he was announced as one of Sky's pundits in Australia to cover the Lions tours. However, he has returned to Saracens and subsequently seemed to open the door to an international return at some point. The timing seems awkward but, given the lack of depth at fly-half on this tour, this may be his best opportunity to re-enter the reckoning at this usually stacked position.