Six Saints stars named in England squad for Nations Championship
Six Saints players have been named in the England squad for the Nations Championship in July.
Fresh from lifting the Gallagher PREM trophy for the third time in the club’s history on Saturday, Alex Coles, Tommy Freeman, George Furbank, Henry Pollock, Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith have all been selected as part of England's 36-man group.
Freeman, who scored one of Saints’ four tries in their 26-17 final victory over Exeter Chiefs, is set to add to his 27 caps as England face South Africa, Fiji and Argentina.
He’s joined in the backs by club captain Furbank, who will move to Harlequins this summer, and fellow British & Irish Lion Smith, who’s named as one of three fly-half options after scoring 11 of Saints' points in the PREM final.
Mitchell played 70 minutes in the showpiece after recovering from a hamstring injury, and the scrum-half heads into camp to add to his 30 England caps.
In the forwards, Saints are represented by Coles and Pollock, who claimed the player of the match medal on Saturday after a stellar outing saw him make 19 carries and 17 tackles, the most of any Saint.
Ahead of the Nations Championship, England boss Steve Borthwick said: “We’ve selected a squad with a good blend of experience and emerging talent.
“The Nations Championship presents an exciting challenge for this group.
"We will face strong opposition in demanding environments, with extensive travel, and changes in climate all testing the squad throughout the tournament.
“I am sure by preparing well and continuing to demand the highest standards from one another every day, we will be well placed to meet the challenge of a very demanding summer schedule.”
England squad for the Nations Championship
Forwards: Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers), Arthur Clark (Gloucester Rugby), Alex Coles (Saints), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), Theo Dan (Saracens), Ben Earl (Saracens), Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby), Greg Fisilau (Exeter Chiefs), Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears), Jamie George (Saracens) – captain, Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers), Ted Hill (Bath Rugby), George Kloska (Bristol Bears), George Martin (Leicester Tigers), Beno Obano (Bath Rugby), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks), Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby), Henry Pollock (Saints), Vilikesa Sela (Bath Rugby).
Backs: Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby), Noah Caluori (Saracens), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs), George Ford (Sale Sharks), Tommy Freeman (Saints), George Furbank (Saints), Benhard Janse van Rensburg (Bristol Bears), Alex Mitchell (Saints), Cadan Murley (Harlequins), Max Ojomoh (Bath Rugby), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Fin Smith (Saints), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby), Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers).