Saints mates battle for Courtney’s shirt
NORTHAMPTON lock stars David Ribbans and Alex Moon will fight it out this week in England training for the chance to be clubmate Courtney Lawes’ replacement during the autumn campaign.
Lawes has been ruled out for 12 weeks with an ankle injury sustained against Sale. The 31-year-old, who has 85 caps, started three of England’s four Six Nations matches before the tournament was postponed in March.
England, currently in first place in the Six Nations table, face the Barbarians on October 25, then Italy on October 31, before the Autumn Nations Cup.
England head coach Eddie Jones will also be without Sale centre Manu Tuilagi, after he ruptured his Achilles tendon during the same game.
With Lawes and Tuilagi missing, plus players from Exeter, Wasps, Bristol, Bath, Sale and Worcester unavailable for selection due to league commitments, Jones has named 12 uncapped players in his first training squad since the pandemic.
The 28-man squad will meet for a three-day training camp on Tuesday.
Northampton scrumhalf Alex Mitchell, Harlequins No.8 Alex Dombrandt and Northampton lock Ribbans are among the 12 uncapped players named.
Another England training squad will be announced this week, with the team meeting again on October 15.
The Premiership final takes place on October 24 and England play
Barbarians the next day so players involved in the final will remain unavailable.
England should be back to full strength when they play their first match of the
Autumn Nations Cup against Georgia at Twickenham on November 14.
They then play Ireland and Wales, the other two teams in Group A, before facing the side in the equivalent finishing position from Group B, which con
tains Scotland, France, Italy and Fiji, on December 6.
Northampton’s South Africa-born lock Ribbans, 25, has been given the chance to step up alongside teammate Moon, with England regular Maro Itoje also in the squad.
Piers Francis has been withdrawn after testing positive for Covid-19 but fellow Saints centre Fraser Dingwall is included, with uncapped No.8s Dombrandt and Jack Clement joining Billy Vunipola in the squad.
With Bristol tighthead prop Kyle Sinckler unavailable, Leicester’s Joe Heyes and Harlequins’ Simon Kerrod have been called up. Northampton flanker Lewis Ludlam is unavailable because he is self-isolating so Gloucester’s Lewis Ludlow gets a chance to impress.
Ali Crossdale, Nathan Earle and Ollie Thorley are the other uncapped players in the squad.