England head coach Eddie Jones has confirmed his 35-man training squad for the Rugby World Cup.
The squad which will assemble at the Lensbury Hotel on Sunday, contains Premiership finalists Owen Farrell, Jamie George, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Maro Itoje, Ben Moon, Billy Vunipola, Henry Slade, Harry Williams and Ben Spencer.
While Harlequins prop Joe Marler has been included after making himself available following his retirement from international rugby last year.
Speaking on the selections Jones believes that he has a squad with the ability to win the tournament and has been tracking players over the four-year cycle since the last World Cup.
“We can’t wait to have the full squad in place and to have players competing for those 31 places. It is a process of building the team up, building the cohesion, the tactical understanding of the team and our adaptability. We will need to get those things right to win the World Cup, and that is our aim. World Cup selection is a four-year process. We have looked at the squad carefully, tried to build up a squad that has enough experience, attitude and energy to be winners and I think we have that. In the process, we have left out some players who can feel unlucky. For those guys who have missed out, the door is never closed but they have just got to be ready, as you never know when the opportunity comes,” he said.
The squad has been training for the past two weeks with several players being brought in and cut out, and Jones thinks that the two camps have been hugely positive for the players involved.
“The last two camps have been a head start for us. It has allowed the guys who didn’t play in the semi-finals or final to get some good conditioning work in and also some fundamental skill work so we expect them to set a high standard when the rest of the squad join us on July 7. The players have come in the best physical condition I have ever seen an England squad. The attitude of the players is that they are excited and hungry, they want to do well for themselves, their family and for their country,” he added.
He closed up by discussing his decision to include Marler and admits that although he has been included, he still has a lot to prove if he wants to make the final cut and is also looking forward to the road ahead.
“I saw Joe during the Barbarians’ week and he indicated that he had a desire to come back. We have since had a couple of chats and we have given him the opportunity to do that. Now it is up to him to show us what he has got. For the fans it is the start of the journey so we want you to be with us; we are all in this together. We are looking forward to seeing your support,” he finished.
The initial squad also does not include injured trio George Kruis, Jack Nowell and Mako Vunipola, but they are all continuing their recoveries and will be considered for selection in the final squad.
Meanwhile there are four uncapped players named in Willi Heinz, Lewis Ludlam, Ruaridh McConnochie and Jack Singleton.
England kick-off their World Cup warm-up games against Wales on August 11th before tests against Ireland, Italy and Wales once more.
They will then select their final 31-man World Cup squad and head to Japan.
Check Out the Full 35-man Training Squad
Below.
Forwards
Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 85 caps)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, 11 caps)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 10 caps)
Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby, 10 caps)
Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers, 9 caps)
Jamie George (Saracens, 37 caps)
Maro Itoje (Saracens, 27 caps)
Joe Launchbury (Wasps, 58 caps)
Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, 71
caps)
Lewis Ludlam (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
Joe Marler (Harlequins, 59 caps)
Ben Moon (Exeter Chiefs, 8 caps)
Brad Shields (Wasps, 8 caps)
Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins, 22 caps)
Jack Singleton (Saracens, uncapped)
Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby 9 caps)
Billy Vunipola (Saracens, 41 caps)
Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs, 17 caps)
Mark Wilson (Sale Sharks, 13 caps)
Backs
Danny Cipriani (Gloucester Rugby, 16 caps)
Joe Cokanasiga (Bath Rugby, 4 caps)
Elliot Daly (Saracens, 30 caps)
Owen Farrell (Saracens, 70 caps)
George Ford (Leicester Tigers, 55 caps)
Piers Francis (Northampton Saints, 4 caps)
Willi Heinz (Gloucester Rugby, uncapped)
Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby, 40 caps)
Jonny May (Leicester Tigers, 45 caps)
Ruaridh McConnochie (Bath Rugby, uncapped)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 22 caps)
Ben Spencer (Saracens, 3 caps)
Ben Te’o (unattached, 18 caps)
Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers, 32 caps)
Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby, 33 caps)
Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 85 caps)
In camp for rehabilitation
George Kruis (Saracens, 32 caps)
Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs, 33 caps)
Mako Vunipola (Saracens, 53 caps)
