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Tom Hamilton, Senior Writer
England will be without Northampton Saints duo Alex Mitchell and Fraser Dingwall for the start of the autumn internationals but Henry Slade is available and there are hopes George Ford will be fit.
Steve Borthwick confirmed his 36-man squad at Twickenham on Wednesday ahead of their four Tests in November against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan.
Mitchell has established himself as England’s first-choice scrum-half but he has been struggling with a neck injury and missed the first four rounds of the Gallagher Premiership. With Raffi Quirke also absent, the scrum-half jersey will be taken by either Bath’s Ben Spencer, Leicester’s Jack van Poortvliet or Bristol’s Harry Randall.
Borthwick could also face a headache in the centres. Ollie Lawrence is likely to start at either No.12 or No.13, but England will be waiting to see how Henry Slade fares. Slade is yet to play this season after having shoulder surgery in the summer and is included in the squad, but if he isn’t fit to face New Zealand on Nov. 2, then Saracens’ Alex Lozowski could slot in alongside Lawrence, having last played for England six years ago.
But in a boost for Borthwick and England, fly-half Ford is named in the “rehabilitation” section. While he wasn’t named in the 36-man squad, there are hopes he will be fit for their opener against the All Blacks. Ford suffered a thigh-muscle tear at the start of the season and there were fears he’d miss the entire autumn programme, but the injury did not require surgery.
Ben and Tom Curry also return having missed last week’s training camp. Both played for Sale in their comfortable win over Newcastle last Friday. Elsewhere, Alex Coles misses out through injury so Charlie Ewels is included, while Tom Willis is also absent with Alex Dombrandt included.
“Naming this squad is an exciting step in our preparations for the autumn nations series, and we look forward to working with the players again in the days ahead,” Borthwick said. “Our focus is on thorough preparation and building cohesion as we approach what will be a fiercely competitive series.
“Facing New Zealand in the opening match is a tremendous opportunity for us to test ourselves against one of the best teams in the world.
“Having only played at Allianz Stadium twice in our last 15 games, it will be fantastic to return and play in front of our home crowd. The energy and passion of our supporters always give the players an extra boost.”
Analysis from ESPN Senior Writer Tom Hamilton
Borthwick has had to endure plenty of upheaval in the summer with both defence coach Felix Jones and head of strength and conditioning Aled Walters handing in their notices.
That’s seen a backroom reshuffle with Joe El-Abd brought in as defence coach — combining his role with director of rugby at Oyonnax until the end of the season — and Dan Tobin expected to assume something like Walters’ role for the autumn series.
That kerfuffle is something Borthwick could have done without, but at least on the field, there’s a familiar feel to the squad. There are still some headaches for Borthwick: Mitchell’s absence is a blow, Slade hasn’t played this season and the same goes for George Ford. But the return of the Curry brothers is a welcome boost.
After losing both Tests against the All Blacks in the summer (though England won plenty of praise for their performances), England will be looking for the clean sweep this autumn.
England’s 36-player squad:
Forwards
Fin Baxter (Harlequins, 2 caps), Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 23 caps), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 115 caps), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 41 caps), Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 7 caps), Ben Curry (Sale Sharks, 5 caps), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 53 caps), Theo Dan (Saracens, 14 caps), Trevor Davison (Northampton Saints, 2 caps), Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 17 caps), Ben Earl (Saracens, 33 caps), Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby, 31 caps), Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 62 caps), Jamie George (Saracens, 93 caps), Nick Isiekwe (Saracens, 11 caps), Maro Itoje (Saracens, 84 caps), Joe Marler (Harlequins, 95 caps), George Martin (Leicester Tigers, 15 caps), Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 41 caps), Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 38 caps)
Backs
Elliot Daly (Saracens, 69 caps), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs, 6 caps), Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 11 caps), George Furbank (Northampton Saints, 11 caps), Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby, 27 caps), Alex Lozowski (Saracens, 5 caps), Luke Northmore (Harlequins, 2 caps), Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, 7 caps), Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks, 1 cap), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 65 caps), Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints, 2 caps), Fin Smith (Northampton Saints, 5 caps), Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 35 caps), Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby, 6 caps), Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 34 caps), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers, 14 caps)
Rehabilitation: George Ford (Sale Sharks)
Not considered for selection: Alex Coles (Northampton Saints), Joe Cokanasiga (Bath Rugby), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints), Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints), Will Muir (Bath Rugby), Max Ojomoh (Bath Rugby), Raffi Quirke (Sale Sharks), Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks).