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'Be ready. Be ready if your opportunity comes to be ready to take it'
Steve Borthwick has confirmed Owen Farrell as England’s World Cup captain after naming his 41-strong training squad on Friday morning.
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The England head coach made the announcement over two months out from their World Cup opener against Argentina in Marseille on September 9, with Ellis Genge and Courtney Lawes named as vice-captains.
Farrell’s form towards the end of the season with Saracens has silenced any suggestion he will not be the starting fly-half at the finals and now he will lead the team out in France.
Speaking after announcing Farrell as his skipper, Borthwick said: “I’m delighted to announce the England Rugby World Cup training squad.
“I think it’s a great blend of experience and youth I’m also excited to announce the England Rugby World Cup squad will be captained by Owen Farrell and vice-captains will be Ellis Genge and Courtney Lawes.
“I think we’ve got some great leaders in the team. I think that all of them are fantastic players. I met with Owen about 10 days ago. We spent about two hours walking around fields outside Harpenden, talking about everything we wanted to do with his team, everything we wanted to do with this programme, what we wanted to achieve.
“The passion in him, I think he’s a fantastic leader, the players have enormous respect for him and I’m looking forward to the full squad getting together on Sunday night here at the Lensbury (Resort) and start training on Monday morning.”
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Farrell’s uncapped club-mate Theo Dan made the cut for the training squad, despite the 22-year-old hooker only making his Saracens debut in November 2021, having delivered a series of impressive displays during the club’s Gallagher Premiership title-winning campaign.
There is also a call-up for uncapped back-row forward Tom Willis, who currently plays for Bordeaux-Begles. He joins his brother Jack in the squad.
But Exeter hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie has lost his battle to recover in time from a shoulder injury and will not be considered for World Cup selection, the Rugby Football Union announced.
Players named in Borthwick’s previous training group to miss out include Gloucester-bound number eight Zach Mercer, Northampton scrum-half Alex Mitchell and Bath flanker Ted Hill.
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Dan is among a sizeable group from Premiership finalists Saracens and Sale Sharks called up by Borthwick after they completed a mandatory rest period.
That contingent includes the likes of Farrell, Jamie George, Maro Itoje, Manu Tuilagi, George Ford and Jonny Hill.
Tom Willis and Dan apart, the other uncapped players are Harlequins wing Cadan Murley, Gloucester prop Val Rapava-Ruskin and London Irish flanker Tom Pearson.
And although not named in the squad, Billy Vunipola, Mako Vunipola, Ollie Lawrence, Ollie Chessum and Jack Walker will continue their rehabilitation from injuries and remain in contention for England’s final 33-man World Cup group to be announced on August 7.
Addressing the likes of Alex Mitchell and Zac Mercer, as well as others who narrowly missed out on a call-up, Borthwick’s message was clear.
“There are a number of players I have had conversations with who have missed out on selection for this squad,” he added.
“Every one of them, I have said ‘you need to be ready for an opportunity to come in’ and one thing that is consistent in every World Cup, every one of those preparation periods there is something that happens and somebody from outside the squad comes in.
“So the message to every player is ‘Be ready. Be ready if your opportunity comes to be ready to take it.”
Borthwick will name his final squad of 33 players on August 7 with England playing four World Cup warm-up games – facing Wales home and away, Ireland and Fiji – before beginning their tilt at going one step further than 2019, when they lost the final to South Africa.
Training squad: Backs – H Arundell (London Irish), D Care (Harlequins), J Cokanasiga (Bath), E Daly (Saracens), O Farrell (Saracens), G Ford (Sale), M Malins (Saracens), J Marchant (Harlequins), J May (Gloucester), C Murley (Harlequins), G Porter (Leicester), H Slade (Exeter), M Smith (Harlequins), F Steward (Leicester), M Tuilagi (Sale), J van Poortvliet (Leicester), A Watson (Leicester), B Youngs (Leicester).
Forwards – J Blamire (Newcastle), D Cole (Leicester), T Curry (Sale Sharks), T Dan (Saracens), A Dombrandt (Harlequins), B Earl (Saracens), E Genge (Bristol), J George (Saracens), J Hill (Sale), M Itoje (Saracens), C Lawes (Northampton), L Ludlam (Northampton), J Marler (Harlequins), G Martin (Leicester), T Pearson (London Irish), V Rapava-Ruskin (Gloucester), D Ribbans (Northampton), B Rodd (Sale), K Sinckler (Bristol), W Stuart (Bath), S Underhill (Bath), J Willis (Toulouse), T Willis (Bordeaux-Begles).
Comments on RugbyPass
Always reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
1 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
4 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
4 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
4 Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
1 Go to commentsAs a Crusaders fan , so disappointed , again.But I think Fergus Burke was all class for the Crusaders in his first game since October last year. Fletcher Newell , was so good at prop. Johnny McNicoll has been gold since returning from Wales. Noah Hotham brilliant , in a coming of age second season for the Crusaders.Jone Rova did really well at centre. The end of the game was tough.Sevu Reece , what a game/season in tough times.
4 Go to commentsFellas a balloon
3 Go to commentsBlues B team on display and made no race of it. By far the best team in SR with the Hurricanes barely getting past the winning post. Up the Blues 💙
7 Go to commentsWould be amazing to have Servette Genève reaching this level
3 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can't buy a win this season. Surely Penney's contract won't be renewed. There's still enough talent in the squad that they oughta be winning more.
1 Go to commentsABs captain for 23 seasons. Decent record. Surely nobody will surpass it. Legend. But alas a typo…
4 Go to commentsJust FYI Rugbypass, I for one am tired of your clickbait titles and thumbnails and will be clicking them no longer. Good day.
1 Go to commentsI think Farrell despite all of the stick he gets in the media is still one of if not the best fly half in the world. He is literally the full package. He can kick one of the best in the world, probably has the best defensive game of a fly half in the world and if he wants to he can run, take contact and find an offload to keep the pace of the attack. I dont know why he isnt spoken more about still being one of the best in the world with the likes of dupont. Farrell is the ultimate captain and team leader and is experienced- he has been in nearly any situation you can think of. I still believe due to these reasons that he is England’s best ever player and is still one of the best players in the world.
48 Go to commentsBlues are dominating up front and that’s been a long time coming. They have won the up front confrontation which is where canes, hilanders and act brumbies are also strong.
7 Go to commentsJust watched brumbies v safas game sadly not a show in he’ll thryr anywhere near quarters or semi contention. Admittedly some issues around new comers bot what stands out for me is coaching management, poor game planning and accuracy.
5 Go to comments