Bristol Bears star Harry Randall has been named as one of three scrum-halves in England head coach Steve Borthwick’s 36-player training squad for the forthcoming Autumn Nations Series.
Northampton Saints star Alex Mitchell has not been included in the squad as he continues to recover from a neck injury, meaning the number nine shirt for England is up for grabs, with Randall competing with Bath’s Ben Spencer and Leicester Tigers’ Jack van Poortvliet for the jersey. Randall won the latest of his seven caps this summer out in New Zealand
Bristol team-mate Ellis Genge comes back into the England squad as expected having missed the summer tour with a calf injury.
The other big news is the inclusion of Exeter Chiefs outside centre Henry Slade who has not played this season after undergoing surgery on his shoulder in the summer but looks set to be thrown straight back in at the international level as he closes in on a playing return. The latest squad will assemble at the Honda England Rugby Performance Centre at Pennyhill Park on Monday, October 21 before flying to Girona to begin their training.
Borthwick said: “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. 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.”
England welcome New Zealand at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham for their first match of the 2024 Autumn Nations Series, before taking on Australia, South Africa and Japan.
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 due to injury
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).