Sam Simmonds has been named in England’s squad to prepare for Saturday’s Six Nations match against France. It was initially thought he would not be available until the final weekend of the tournament due to a shoulder injury but he will join the squad on Sunday and will be assessed by England before it is determined whether he is ready for Saturday’s match in Paris.
Simmonds is part of a 33-man squad – named a day early by England, who arranged an additional training session at Twickenham on Saturday for 25 players after last week’s camp in Oxford had to be cut short due to the adverse weather. The Exeter back-row, who injured his shoulder in the 12-6 victory over Wales last month and the following week, Eddie Jones said that he “won’t be available for at least the next two matches”.
Simmonds has been named on Exeter’s bench for their top of the table Premiership clash with Saracens on Sunday however, and he would not be the first player to return to England duty ahead of schedule. His availability would be a boost for Jones after his eye-catching start to the tournament, scoring two tries against Italy on the opening weekend. He would also bolster Jones’s options in the back row after Nathan Hughes went straight into the side for the 25-13 defeat by Scotland, despite limited game-time following a knee injury.
Simmonds is among a raft of players added to last week’s squad, who trained at different camps across the country. The Bath back-row Zach Mercer, Sale’s Denny Solomona and the Saracens fly-half Alex Lozowski have been called up, as well as the Harlequins apprentice players Marcus Smith and Gabriel Ibitoye.
Only 25 trained at Twickenham on Saturday with Kyle Sinckler, George Kruis, Charlie Ewels, Lozowski, Solomona, Smith, Mercer and Simmonds all due to arrive on Sunday after their involvement with their clubs in a weekend disrupted by the weather.
England training squad
Backs: M Brown (Harlequins), D Care (Harlequins), E Daly (Wasps), O Farrell (Saracens), G Ford (Leicester), G Ibitoye (Harlequins), J Joseph (Bath), A Lozowski (Saracens), J May (Leicester), J Nowell (Exeter), M Smith (Harlequins), D Solomona (Sale), B Te’o (Worcester), A Watson (Bath), R Wigglesworth (Saracens)
Forwards: D Cole (Leicester), C Ewels (Bath), J George (Saracens), D Hartley (Northampton), J Haskell (Wasps), N Hughes (Wasps), M Itoje (Saracens), G Kruis (Saracens), C Lawes (Northampton), J Launchbury (Wasps), J Marler (Harlequins), Z Mercer (Bath), C Robshaw (Harlequins), S Simmonds (Exeter), K Sinckler (Harlequins), S Underhill (Bath), M Vunipola (Saracens), H Williams (Exeter).
