Henry Slade was the biggest omission from England’s 33-man Rugby World Cup squad, with Alex Dombrandt following closely in another surprise absence.
Nick Purewal examines the winners and losers from Steve Borthwick’s selection for the fast-approaching global contest in France.
Winners
Joe Marchant
Marchant has been on the fringes battling for opportunities for some time now – to the extent that he has opted to leave Harlequins for Stade Francais. The centre will be unavailable for England selection for next season as a result. That is not usually the decision of a man expecting to feature regularly in the Test set-up. And yet he has been parachuted into the World Cup squad, as much because of his ability to feature on the wing as in the centres, and because of his pacy approach.
Theo Dan
The Saracens hooker made his Test debut in Saturday’s 20-9 defeat by Wales in Cardiff, coming into the fray off the bench. Dan’s game-breaking talents are clear and he continues to improve at a rapid rate. Injury to Luke Cowan-Dickie has opened the door for the Saracen to prove himself, and Borthwick and the rest of the England coaches have been suitably impressed by what they have seen in training.
David Ribbans
Second row Ribbans has made the cut because of Borthwick’s determination to add extra cover at lock and blindside flanker. The powerful performer will add ballast if required but could be hard-pushed to break into the starting line-up. Sale lock Jonny Hill has dropped down the pecking order in recent times after a difficult autumn amid the collapse of the Eddie Jones era.
Losers
Henry Slade
The Exeter centre has numbered among the few backline operators who can actually add shape and wit to England’s wide-channel operations in recent times. And yet the 56-cap playmaker has been deemed surplus to requirements for the big battle in France.
Alex Dombrandt
The Harlequins No 8 was a regular starter in the Six Nations under Borthwick, and had appeared all set to go to France. England have been at pains in recent times to hail the attack-minded loose-forward as one of their vital operators. But as with Slade he has been jettisoned at the last. The 26-year-old will be well within his rights to be bitterly disappointed with his omission now. England are only taking one specialist No 8 to France, in the shape of Billy Vunipola. Lewis Ludlam can feature in all three back-row positions and that kind of versatility has been prioritised by Borthwick.
Jonny May
Gloucester speed king May remains a fine servant of English rugby and a wing who will never let anyone down. May’s ultra diligence in preparation could perhaps have worked against him here however. Borthwick will know full well he can rely on May above anyone else to continue to uphold his lofty standards, even if doubtless disappointed by his World Cup omission. England will keep all the omitted players on standby, and Borthwick knows he can count on May not to let his application and focus drop. England could easily have taken 15 backs rather than 14 to the World Cup as well, and in that situation perhaps May would have been the next cab off the rank.
