Steve Borthwick has named his squad for a three-day training camp ahead of this summer’s Nations Championship
Steve Borthwick has named his England training squad ahead of the inaugural Nations Championship campaign this summer, with former South Africa U20s international Benhard Janse van Rensburg called up.
The Pretoria-born Bristol Bears centre will qualify for England from July, when he completes his five-year eligibility period, having moved to PREM Rugby in 2021 to join London Irish. Van Rensburg, who made one substitute appearance for the Junior Springboks in 2016, will now qualify on residency after the RFU successfully lobbied World Rugby to bring his eligibility date forward from November.
He will officially complete his eligibility period on July 8, four days after Borthwick’s side take on the Springboks in Johannesburg, and could make his debut against Fiji at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium on July 11.
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Elsewhere in the squad, there is a first call-up for Saracens scrum-half Charlie Bracken, the 22-year-old son of 2003 Rugby World Cup winner Kyran, who won a total of 51 caps and captained his country on three occasions.
Bracken is joined in the squad by fellow scrum-half Archie McParland, with the 21-year-old Northampton Saints star also earning his maiden call-up.
Teenage sensation Noah Caluori is also named having been previously selected in the squad for last autumn’s internationals, with the 19-year-old wing scoring 18 tries in the PREM so far this season.
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Leicester Tigers lock George Martin also returns to the international fold for the first time since February last year after 14 months out with knee and shoulder injuries.
Captain Maro Itoje is also included amid reports that he may be rested by Borthwick this summer, having exceeded the RFU’s own player welfare guidelines by playing in more than 30 matches in each of the last two campaigns.
However, there is no place for Bath duo Ollie Lawrence and Henry Arundell, with the pair both left out due to their form rather than any fitness or injury issues.
The squad assembled for the first time on Monday and will train at England’s Performance Centre at Pennyhill Park until Wednesday.
England’s summer training squad in full:
Forwards: Jamie Blamire (Leicester Tigers), Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers), Arthur Clark (Gloucester Rugby), Alex Coles (Northampton Saints), Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), Theo Dan (Saracens), Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins), Ben Earl (Saracens), Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears), Jamie George (Saracens), Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers), Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Emmanuel Iyogun (Northampton Saints), 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), Kepu Tuipulotu (Bath Rugby)
Backs: Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby), Charlie Bracken (Saracens), Noah Caluori (Saracens), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs), George Ford (Sale Sharks), Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints), George Furbank (Northampton Saints), Benhard Janse van Rensburg (Bristol Bears), Archie McParland (Northampton Saints), Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints), Cadan Murley (Harlequins), Adam Radwan (Leicester Tigers), Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Fin Smith (Northampton Saints), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby), Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers)
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