England name six uncapped players - including Fin Baxter and Tom Roebuck - for summer tour of Japan and New Zealand, as Steve Borthwick opts for youthful 36-man squad for three Tests Borthwick's have tough fixtures against Japan and New Zealand this summer Experienced fly-half George Ford has been left out due to an Achilles injury Borthwick has often relied on Ford throughout his tenure as England head coach By Alex Bywater Published: 12:30, 10 June 2024 | Updated: 12:36, 10 June 2024 e-mail View comments England head coach Steve Borthwick has named six uncapped players in a youthful squad for his team’s crunch summer tour matches with Japan and New Zealand. After a promising end to their Six Nations campaign and the conclusion of the domestic season, England’s next challenges are a meeting with the Brave Blossoms and two Tests with the All Blacks . Borthwick confirmed a 36-man party for the three matches on Monday with rookies Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Gabriel Oghre (Bristol), Joe Carpenter and Tom Roebuck (both Sale), Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints) and Luke Northmore (Harlequins) all called up.
As was revealed on Sunday , experienced fly-half George Ford isn’t part of Borthwick’s touring squad due to an Achilles injury. It means one of Marcus or Fin Smith will be England’s premier No 10 in the southern hemisphere. Flanker Tom Curry is also included, alongside his twin brother Ben, despite only playing once since last year’s World Cup after his recovery .
