'Freak' athlete Ted Hill earns place in England's Nations Championship squad

Bath loose forward Ted Hill has been rewarded for his strong showing for England XV vs their French counterparts on Friday night with a place in Steve Borthwick’s 36-player squad for the inaugural Nations Championship.

Hill, who was once described by club captain Ben Spencer as ‘a freak’, due to his physical attributes and pace, wasn’t included in the original training group, but is now on course to make his Test comeback.

The former Worcester player, who can play flanker or lock, won the last of his five caps against USA 12 months ago and replaces Chandler Cunningham-South.

Meanwhile, Bath teammate Charlie Ewels is also in the squad, despite not featuring in the Six Nations. His inclusion comes at the expense of Nick Isiekwe.

Sale Sharks hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie wasn’t named in the training squad as he was undergoing injury rehab at the time, but the hooker is now fit to compete with Saracens duo, Jamie George, who captains the side in Maro Itoje’s absence, and Theo Dan.

Northampton centre Fraser Dingwall and Sale wing Tom Roebuck are two notable absentees, along with Leicester wing Adam Radwan, all of whom were in the training squad but have failed to make the final cut.

The squad, which includes five uncapped players – Noah Caluori, Greg Fisilau, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, George Kloska and Vilikesa Sela – will train at England’s Performance Centre at Pennyhill Park until Wednesday before departing for South Africa, where they begin their campaign against the Springboks at Ellis Park, Johannesburg, on Saturday 4 July.

England will then return for an ‘away’ fixture against Fiji at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool before travelling to Argentina to face Los Pumas at Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero in Round 3.

“We’ve selected a squad with a good blend of experience and emerging talent,” said Borthwick.

“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.”

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)