Surprise selection in England squad has irked many fans on Twitter

Eddie Jones has announced his 31-man squad to train this week ahead of the final Six Nations match against Scotland, and there is one noticeable change that has caught many fans’ attention on Twitter.

The Australian has opted to call up Marcus Smith to the training squad, with many bewildered why Danny Cipriani is overlooked again.

This comes after a Cipriani inspired Gloucester to a dominant win over Harlequins at the Stoop on Sunday. To make matters worse, Smith was on the bench for Quins.

It is not necessarily Cipriani’s omission that has shocked so many fans, rather the decision to select Smith over him. The former Wasps 10 is one of the form players in the Premiership, and his display against Harlequins showed that. His exclusion has left many fans once again wondering what he has to do to work his way back into the England squad, particularly with precious little time ahead of the World Cup in September.

This is the reaction from the fans:

https://twitter.com/phil_world88/status/1105039932446437376
https://twitter.com/Rusty_Rascal/status/1105053369020882945
https://twitter.com/thesatnav89/status/1105055633689190401
https://twitter.com/guysbeingguys1/status/1105048921376731137
https://twitter.com/cookjoh8/status/1105066839468658688
https://twitter.com/Buddyboy51/status/1105044674153250819
https://twitter.com/jmconnor6/status/1105045008661532672
https://twitter.com/_katyhomewood/status/1105055638424637440
https://twitter.com/Whinney_B/status/1105049999602302976

Of course, not selecting Cipriani should come as no surprise to many, as after all, he has been omitted from the England team on plenty of occasions. However, it is just the fact that Jones opted to select Smith ahead of him.

While the 20-year-old Smith certainly has a very bright future with England, and will play a prominent role after the World Cup, very few would say that he is the third best fly-half in England currently. Cipriani’s display against Harlequins yesterday resoundly proved that point.

This latest selection has left many fans resigned to the fact that the mercurial Gloucester 10 will never play for England again. Cipriani’s face just doesn’t seem to fit with England after a long career that has seen some controversy, and many fans are accepting that.

This is what they are saying:

https://twitter.com/GarethTheHop/status/1105043988753584128
https://twitter.com/lepetitgenerale/status/1105053183007690752

Surely time for him to head off over the water to earn some crazy € in the Top14? If he doesn't get called up now and is behind Marcus Smith he has zero chance at a World Cup spot

— Matt Pritchard (@MattLPritch) March 11, 2019