Armand called up for England tour as Jones shuffles pack
Exeter flanker rewarded for Twickenham display
Schonert, Devoto and Wilson added to squad
It takes a brave or foolish man to second-guess England head coach Eddie Jones, as shown by his latest squad, featuring 17 uncapped players, for the two-test tour to Argentina.
The original 31-man party, announced in April, confounded many with the inclusion of a posse of players – such as teenagers Joe Cokanasiga and Nick Isiekwe – who had barely experienced the Premiership, let alone international rugby, ahead of many more established performers.
His updated squad announced yesterday featured five changes and takes into account injuries to Exeter hooker Luke Cowan-dickie, Northampton prop Paul Hill and Harlequins centre Joe Marchant, as well as a Lions summons for James Haskell and a likely suspension for Tom Wood.
Those latter two absentees deny England 125 caps of experience, as well as opening up vacancies in the back row. An obvious candidate to fill one of the gaps was Exeter flanker Don Armand, after his manof-the-match performance in the Premiership final victory against Wasps on Saturday.
Yet, when asked whether he had done enough to merit a call-up after England’s 28-14 victory against the Barbarians on Sunday, Jones seemed to dismiss Armand out of hand. “Are you asking me whether he convinced me to take him on the tour? No he didn’t.”
Yet come yesterday afternoon there was Armand in the squad, which means Jones either had an overnight epiphany or was employing Donald Trump levels of disingenuousness.
Zimbabwe-born Armand, who qualifies for England through his grandparents, is unlikely to care what route he needed to take, nor that he was forced to cancel a prearranged holiday to Greece with his partner.
The 28-year-old, who joined the Chiefs in 2013 from the Stormers, has been long established as one of English rugby’s most explosive back rows, and was included in the Premiership team of the season. Fellow flanker Mark Wilson also comes in, and is rewarded for his consistent excellence for Newcastle Falcons.
Tighthead prop Nick Schonert, who was part of South Africa’s IRB Junior World Championships side in 2011, takes the place of Hill. His previous claim to fame was having his cheek accidentally ripped open by Maro Itoje, a gruesome injury that required more than 40 stitches.
Ollie Devoto, who also had an outstanding game for Exeter at Twickenham, comes in for Marchant, while Tommy Taylor, the Wasps hooker who many thought was unlucky to miss out in the first place, replaces his opposite number from the final, Cowan-dickie. The Exeter hooker has been carrying a knee injury that will force him to undergo surgery.
Denny Solomona, the Sale wing and rugby league convert, was being assessed yesterday for a midfoot sprain sustained in the Brighton training camp, and is likely to learn in the next 48 hours whether he will be fit enough to tour. Marland Yarde, the Harlequins wing, is included in the squad as cover.
Both Alex Lozowski, the Saracens playmaker, and Sam Underhill, the Bath-bound openside flanker, are included, despite both suffering shoulder injuries in the first half against the Barbarians on Sunday.
“I’m really excited about this Test series,” Jones said. “It is a big opportunity for this group and we are going out there to win 2-0. The players who have been in camp over the last few weeks have done extremely well and the win against a Barbarians team full of top internationals is testament to the hard work they have put in. We are looking forward to a good week of preparation in London before we depart this weekend.”