Alex Lozowski is in contention to earn his first international cap in six years this autumn, having been rewarded for his impressive early season form with a call-up to England’s training squad next week. The 31-year-old centre, who scored 22 points in a man-of-the-match performance in Saracens’ victory over Sale last weekend, last won a cap in 2018 against Japan. England won that match but were trailing at half-time, a game now known among players as the “black hole” match due to several players, including Lozowski, who was substituted at the interval, being subsequently overlooked by Eddie Jones.
With Henry Slade nursing a shoulder injury, Lozowski, who spent most of last season on the sidelines following knee surgery, makes a long-awaited return to the England set-up. There is also positive news for Steve Borthwick with Joe Marler deemed fit enough for the squad, having recovered from a broken foot sustained over the summer. However, Borthwick faces a concerning list of injury absentees. George Ford was not considered for selection after suffering a torn quad in Sale’s defeat by Saracens. Sale initially feared Ford would be sidelined for six to eight weeks, but after consulting a specialist, it was determined he does not need surgery, with hopes he will be fit to play this autumn. Sale cannot yet provide a timeframe for his recovery.
Alex Mitchell was also not considered for selection and has not yet featured for Northampton this season due to a neck injury, making him a major doubt for the autumn fixtures against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Japan. Jack Van Poortvliet’s return to form, highlighted by a fine try against Bath last weekend, is timely, and he is included, but Ben and Tom Curry, Joe Cokanasiga, Will Muir, Max Ojomoh, Raffi Quirke, and Bevan Rodd are all on the injured list.
Elsewhere, Luke Cowan-Dickie is back in the fold after an impressive start to the season. The hooker has not featured for England since 2022 due to long-term neck and shoulder issues but is included in the 36-man squad that will train at Twickenham next week. Elliot Daly also returns, having missed the summer tour for family reasons, while Ellis Genge is back after also missing out on the trip to Japan and New Zealand through injury. Tom Willis, Tom Pearson, Greg Fisilau, Trevor Davison, Tom Pearson, and Oscar Beard are all included after missing the summer tour.
“After watching a competitive and high-scoring start to the Premiership season, I am once again looking forward to gathering the players together,” said Borthwick. “This training camp is an important part of our preparations for the Autumn Nations Series as we continue to build on the cohesion we’ve developed over the past two campaigns. The squad reflects the depth and quality we have in English rugby, and we are looking forward to working with the players ahead of what will be a highly competitive series.”
