Five released England stars join A squad ahead of Portugal clash

Borthwick expressed his satisfaction with the resurgence of the developmental team at Welford Road.

“It’s an important step for players who have come out of the Under 20s and are playing club rugby, to be able to get into the international environment to prepare to play for England,” he said.  “Since we've not had the Saxons or the A team, that group of players, now in their early to mid-20s, are striving to make that next level to international rugby and haven't had that platform. This provides that next stage. 

“For selection these players must have the potential of being in the England team in the very near future. That's the focus. We've got a lot of exciting young players in this country, and this is an opportunity for them. This England A game is really important, I can't overstate the importance of re-establishing this team. So, to do this at Leicester Tigers' stadium is incredible. It’s such an iconic stadium and one I know very well. It's an area where the supporters know rugby, they love rugby, and I'm sure they’ll be out there supporting England in numbers.  

“Portugal’s performance in the Rugby World Cup was incredibly impressive. Not only in the outstanding way they played, but also the way they attacked every game. I thought that showed the character and the spirit that they have in their team.” 

His deep-rooted connection with Bath Rugby dates to before he was born with father, Steve, playing for the club in the 1990s, but he has now forged his own path, making huge strides on the field from inside centre.

An exciting player who consistently has supporters on the edge of their seats every time he receives the ball, Ojomoh debuted for his hometown club in the Premiership Rugby Cup and worked relentlessly hard thereafter to develop his game and earn his next opportunity in senior colours. 

That came in form of a Gallagher Premiership debut at London Irish and his maiden European outing followed a week later against Zebre. He finished the campaign with two 80-minute performances which led to England recognition as Eddie Jones called him up to his summer training squad.

Since then, Ojomoh’s ball-playing skills and excellent attacking play have been viewed wider afield with the return of fans and he was voted by the RPA’s Premiership MVP for October.

A key component of Bath Rugby’s future, the centre graduated from the Academy in February 2022 alongside longstanding teammate Orlando Bailey.

Muir set out to study Mechanical Engineering at Northumbria University, he had a vision of working overseas in Dubai or Singapore.

He achieved that dream, albeit not in the field he saw himself heading towards. His Sevens rugby talents saw him travel the globe and experience different cities from a sporting aspect as opposed to a designer of power-producing machines.

Muir had limited Sevens experience when he began his University degree and was introduced to the code during his second year.

Playing in small tournaments across England, he was part of a successful side which won the National University BUCS tournament and thereafter, they were invited to competitions where RFU bosses could scan for potential rare finds – of which Muir turned out to be one of. 

A week after graduating, Muir’s rugby dreams were realised as he was straight on a plane to San Francisco, USA for the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament at Major League Baseball franchise San Francisco Giants’ AT&T Park. 

Nicknamed the Horse for his gait, he was named 2019 England Sevens Men’s Player of the Year – the first male player to win the award in their first season of England Sevens - and scored two tries in his country’s opening 2019/20 World Sevens Series event as they secured bronze in one of his previously preferred living destinations, Dubai.

The proud Yorkshireman has since transferred his try-scoring skills to the XVs game with Bath Rugby. Joining ahead of the 2020/21 Gallagher Premiership campaign, the wing scored seven tries in his first 12 Premiership appearances before carrying that form into 2021/22.

Ewels’ Test debut came off the bench for Courtney Lawes after against Fiji at Twickenham in November 2016.

He also contributed to the subsequent wins over Argentina and Australia in that series. His fourth cap and first start came in the first Test summer tour win over Argentina in San Juan. The following week, he scored his first international try after winning a lineout and linking with Nathan Hughes and Joe Launchbury. He featured in all of England’s November international games in 2018.

Ewels was part of the wider 2019 Rugby World Cup training squad and featured in the 2020 Guinness Six Nations. His most admired players are Martin Johnson, Lawrence Dallaglio and Victor Matfield and his top stadium is the Recreation Ground – the home of Bath Rugby.

A tighthead prop by trade, Heyes has had an impressive rise since coming through the Leicester Tigers academy.

A former goalkeeper at Nottingham Forest, Heyes came through at Nottingham Moderns and then Newark before being taken on by Leicester. England honours have followed at Under 18 and Under 20 age groups, and at the 2018 and 2019 World Rugby U20 Championship he played in every round of games. He made his Tigers debut in 2018 and has become a regular in the front row at Welford Road and received his first England senior call-up to a training squad in October 2020.

Heyes made his Test debut in 2021 in England's fixture against the USA at Twickenham and was recently named in Steve Borthwick’s squad for the Guinness Men’s Six Nations 2024.

Scrum half Harry Randall has thrived under Pat Lam at Bristol Bears developing into an intelligent and exciting number nine.

Born in Slough, Randall moved to Wales aged four and represented the country up until Under 18 level, but switched allegiance to England when he moved to Hartpury College for his studies. He has since played for England U18s and U20s, and was part of the squad that won the 2016 World Rugby U20 Championship in Manchester.

Randall was picked up by Gloucester Rugby while he was playing for Hartpury in the Greene King IPA Championship but switched to Bristol Bears in 2018. In the 2020 Challenge Cup final he scored after 15 seconds for Bristol against Toulon, the fastest ever try in European rugby. He received his first senior England call-up in January 2021 ahead of the Guinness Six Nations.