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Teen sensation Henry Arundell named in 36-man England squad
Eddie Jones has named a 36-man squad – including uncapped London Irish pair Henry Arundell and Will Joseph and the fit-again Owen Farrell – for next week’s three-day mini-camp in London ahead of the July tour to Australia. England are heading away on the three-Test tour following their latest disappointing Guinness Six Nations campaign and Jones’ squad will train in London as they begin preparations for a schedule that also includes next month’s home game against the Barbarians on June 19.
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Joe Cokanasiga, Farrell, Manu Tuilagi and Anthony Watson all return to the squad following injury. Elsewhere there are first-time involvements in a senior squad for London Irish duo Arundell and Joseph, along with Leicester Tigers’ Jack van Poortvliet. There are ten uncapped players and seven with more than 50 caps, including a return for Mako Vunipola.
The 19-year-old Arundell’s burgeoning talent to create a try out of nothing went viral around the rugby world recently when he followed up a chip and chase score versus Wasps in the Gallagher Premiership with a remarkable solo effort from near his own Challenge Cup quarter-final goalline in Toulon. That form has prompted Jones to now move quickly and include the fast-emerging Arundell, an England U20 who is also eligible for Scotland and Wales, in his latest England Test squad.
It was last Friday when London Irish boss Declan Kidney revealed that Jones had visited the club’s training ground the previous week to run his eye over the teenager and a number of other potential young England picks at the Exiles.
“Eddie was over with the club last week and we went through a number of the players that we had and that is the comment that I am making, the fact that we had the English coach coming to London Irish to discuss a number of our players is a good thing for the club. Henry was one of them and we gave him out insights to that but Eddie is a strong enough person to make up his own mind as to what is the best for Henry’s development,” explained Kidney.
It was nine weeks ago when England coach Jones last named a squad, choosing 34 players on March 14 ahead of that Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations finale away to France, and with no English clubs left in Europe, there were no restrictions to the latest Jones selection which shows multiple changes from two months ago. Of the forwards named that final week of the campaign in March, Jamie George, Nick Isiekwe, Joe Marler, Sam Simmonds and Kyle Sinckler miss out. Instead, the fit-again Tom Curry, the suspension-free Charlie Ewels, Lewis Ludlam, George McGuigan, Tom Pearson, Bevan Rodd and Vunipola have been called in.
In the backs, Elliot Daly, George Ford, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Luke Northmore, Jack Nowell and Ben Youngs miss out with Arundell, Cokanasiga, Fraser Dingwall, Farrell, Tommy Freeman, Joseph, Tuilagi, van Poortvliet and Watson included.
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Ten Premiership clubs make up the squad with Bath, Leicester and Northampton each having six players. Next comes Wasps, Sale, Harlequins, Saracens and London Irish with three each. Newcastle have two players included with Bristol providing one.
An RFU statement did suggest that with the Premiership season reaching its climax, Jones chose to rest some players for the training camp. The coach said: “We’re going to use this camp as an opportunity to prepare a base game for the Barbarians fixture and for a really important Australia tour. We will focus on how we want to play, how we want to be as a team off the field and continue to develop the squad cohesiveness and behaviours.
“It is also 16 months to the World Cup and every minute counts. We want a hard-working and enjoyable environment for the players and to make sure we are all on the same page. We are allowed a squad of 36 players, so it has been a balancing act.
“We want to take a look at some younger players and prepare a base camp for the Barbarians game, particularly as we will be without the Premiership finalists, and also give some senior players a rest as we get to a crucial part of the season. These players will still be in contention for the Australia tour.”
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ENGLAND SQUAD (London training camp May 22-24)
FORWARDS
Alfie Barbeary (Wasps, uncapped)
Jamie Blamire (Newcastle Falcons, 6 caps)
Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 2 caps)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 40 caps)
Nic Dolly (Leicester Tigers, 1 cap)
Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 9 caps)
Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby, 30 caps)
Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers, 36 caps)
Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 2 caps)
Maro Itoje (Saracens, 56 caps)
Joe Launchbury (Wasps, 70 caps)
Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, 93 caps)
Lewis Ludlam (Northampton Saints, 11 caps)
George McGuigan (Newcastle Falcons, uncapped)
Tom Pearson (London Irish, uncapped)
Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks, 2 caps)
Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 20 caps)
Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 28 caps)
Mako Vunipola (Saracens, 67 caps)
Jack Willis (Wasps, 3 caps)
BACKS
Henry Arundell (London Irish, uncapped)
Orlando Bailey (Bath Rugby, uncapped)
Joe Cokanasiga (Bath Rugby, 11 caps)
Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
Owen Farrell (Saracens, 94 caps)
Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
George Furbank (Northampton Saints, 6 caps)
Will Joseph (London Irish, uncapped)
Louis Lynagh (Harlequins, uncapped)
Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 1 cap)
Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, 6 caps)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 10 caps)
Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 10 caps)
Manu Tuilagi (Sale Sharks, 46 caps)
Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)
Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby, 51 caps)
Comments on RugbyPass
The rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
65 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments