Henry Slade has been left out of England’s World Cup squad with Steve Borthwick also omitting Alex Dombrandt and Joe Cokanasiga from his final 33. Slade’s omission is a shock as Borthwick axed eight players who appeared in England’s disappointing defeat by Wales on Saturday.
Joe Marchant is the beneficiary of Slade’s omission while there are also places for Ben Earl and Henry Arundell. Slade is a former vice-captain, started four Six Nations matches this year and has 56 caps to his name but appeared off the bench in Cardiff for just 10 minutes and was informed by Borthwick that he will not be part of the squad on Sunday. Instead, Borthwick has opted for an extra, 19th forward, with only 14 backs selected. In total, the squad has more than 1,400 caps, including 16 players who were part of the 2019 squad.
