Kyle Sinckler will miss England’s summer tour of Australia as he continues to recover from a back injury, further depleting Eddie Jones’s ranks before the crucial three-Test series against the Wallabies.
Bristol and England have agreed that Sinckler should stay at home to recuperate from the back issue he sustained during the Six Nations. Sinckler managed the injury after returning to Bristol following England’s disappointing campaign but has not featured for the Bears since their Champions Cup exit in April.
Jones is already without Manu Tuilagi, Henry Slade and Sam Simmonds for the trip to Australia meaning Will Stuart is the most senior tighthead prop named in a 35-man squad on Monday with four Test starts to his name. Sinckler is not thought to require surgery but the decision was made to ensure he rests with a view to being fully fit for the start of next season.
Jonny May returns to the squad, having made a comeback from a long-term knee injury and fellow wing Jack Nowell is included after recovering from a broken arm.
May came off the bench for the last 25 minutes of Gloucester’s 54-7 win over Saracens on Saturday for a first appearance since January.
Jones was unable to select representatives from the four clubs who have reached Saturday’s Premiership semi-finals – Saracens, Leicester, Northampton and Harlequins – meaning call-ups for a number of inexperienced players. Paolo Odogwu is among them, having not featured in an England squad since the 2021 Six Nations, while his Wasps teammates Biyi Alo and Charlie Atkinson are among 16 uncapped players along with the London Irish full-back Henry Arundell.
Backs H Arundell (London Irish), C Atkinson (Wasps), M Atkinson (Gloucester), O Bailey (Bath), J Cokanasiga (Bath), O Hassell-Collins (London Irish), W Joseph (London Irish), J May (Gloucester), J Nowell (Exeter), P Odogwu (Wasps), M Ojomoh (Bath), T Parton (London Irish), A Radwan (Newcastle), H Randall (Bristol), D Robson (Wasps).
Forwards B Alo (Wasps), A Barbeary (Wasps), J Blamire (Newcastle), C Chick (Newcastle), F Clarke (Gloucester), T Curry (Sale), T Davison (Newcastle), C Ewels (Bath), W Goodrick-Clarke (London Irish), J Hill (Exeter), T Hill (Worcester), S Jeffries (Bristol), G McGuigan (Newcastle), T Pearson (London Irish), B Rodd (Sale), P Schickerling (Exeter), J Singleton (Gloucester), W Stuart (Bath), S Underhill (Bath), J Willis (Wasps).
There are notable returns for Nowell and Jonny Hill of Exeter. Nowell started Exeter’s win over Harlequins on Saturday following the broken arm sustained against France while Hill has yet to make his comeback from a lower leg injury suffered in January. Luke Cowan-Dickie and Anthony Watson, two more long-term injury absentees, have also been included to continue their rehabilitation from knee and calf problems respectively but Joe Launchbury is conspicuous by his absence.
Of the players called into an England camp for the first time, the Exeter prop Patrick Schickerling is a stand-out inclusion. The 24-year-old was born in Namibia and joined the Chiefs in 2018. Bristol’s Sam Jeffries and Gloucester’s Freddie Clarke, who has been in impressive form for the Cherry and Whites of late, are also first-time call-ups. Jones will name a squad on Sunday for the Barbarians fixture on 19 June which will include losing semi-finalists.
