Te’o dropped by England
Auckland-born Ben Te’o has been dropped ahead of England’s World Cup warm-up against Wales on Monday, leaving him on the outer as coach Eddie Jones prepares to name his 31-man squad for the tournament.
Halfback Ben Spencer was also omitted from the 33-man squad, meaning a likely debut for Christchurch-born Willi Heinz, who played more than 50 matches for both the Crusaders and Canterbury.
Te’o’s omission ahead of the match at London’s Twickenham Stadium is the big surprise from the cull, which also resulted in Mike Brown and Alex Dombrandt being left out.
Jones has made it clear the slashed players could yet make the 31-man squad for Japan.
However, given he names his squad 24 hours after the team’s first warm-up match, it doesn’t bode well for them.
Should Te’o miss out, it would be a tough pill for the 32-year-old, a hard-hitting midfielder who debuted for England in 2016, to swallow just two years after playing a hand in the British and Irish Lions’ drawn series with the All Blacks.
Former Blues player Piers Francis and the uncapped Joe Marchant have been preferred to Te’o, along with Jonathan Joseph.
Marchant and Heinz are among five uncapped players in the 33-man squad and, with Ben Youngs the only other halfback picked, 32-year-old Heinz, who qualifies for England through his grandmother, looks certain for a test debut.
Former Hurricanes captain Brad Shields is sidelined with a foot injury and has not been included in the squad. However, Jones is hopeful he will be fit for the World Cup.
After hosting Wales, the teams will clash in Cardiff the following week. Jones’ side will then host Ireland and Italy to complete its preparation.
‘‘We have worked hard and now move into a four-game preparation phase where the development of the team tactically is paramount,’’ Jones said. ‘‘By the time we fly out on September 8, we will be ready to win the World Cup. We are not there yet, but we have four games to get ready.’’