"No way back" - 5 glaring omissions from England's Six Nations squad

England set out amongst the favourites for this year's competition, as the men who wear the famous red rose are enjoying a hot streak of 11 consecutive wins in a row, dating back to last year's Championship.

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Whilst there are plenty of exciting stars to discuss throughout the confirmed wider training squad, there will always be the asterisk of those players who did not make the grade for the annual competition. In this article, we take a look at the five top England hopefuls that have missed out on a place in the 2026 Six Nations, for the time being at least. Due to the intensity of the five-round campaign, the door will remain ajar for this quintet of Premiership stars, should injuries or suspensions change plans for Borthwick's side.

Just for some further clarity before we get stuck into our picks, we have some housekeeping to take care of. We are not including the injured players that will continue their rehabilitation with the England squad, as they head out to Girona, Spain in the coming weeks. Namely, these players are; Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Ben Curry (Sale), Ollie Lawrence (Bath), Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks) and Fin Smith (Northampton).

Also, we won't be taking into consideration any injured player that is set to be sidelined for the duration of the 2026 Six Nations with long-term injury lay-offs. So, we won't be including the likes of Oscar Beard (Harlequins), Charlie Ewels (Bath), Curtis Langdon (Northampton), George Martin (Leicester), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale), Adam Radwan (Leicester) and Will Stuart (Bath) on this list.

One of the most overlooked talents that England have on offer, Ted Hill has missed out on a place within the England squad despite a stellar run of form in the blue, black and white of Bath. A multi-positional asset, Hill brings a quality that Steve Borthwick has long sort after, in how he is adaptable and dependable across the locks and able to cover the back row.

Despite this trait, Hill has fallen just short and will remain in the West Country for the time being, as Bath continue upon their PREM Rugby Cup title defence. Given Hill's qualities at covering any spot from numbers four to eight, the 26-year-old must be on the stand-bye list should any injuries or suspensions occur throughout the campaign. It's another tough blow for the Bath man, as despite making his England debut in the 2018 Autumn Series, he has been unable to garner a consistent run on the Test match stage.

It looked like it was finally Hill's time in the saddle as he collected two England caps in the 2025 Six Nations, with his captain Maro Itoje even comparing his super-human strength, speed and endurance to that of Superman. However, time will now tell if Hill will be able to build upon his four Test match caps, in what is one of the biggest omissions from the England squad this year.

Moving onto a former England captain, who now is unable to find himself a place in the wider training squad for the upcoming Men's Six Nations campaign.

Owen Farrell returned to the Gallagher PREM in the Summer, following a season away with Racing 92 in the Top 14. The fly half cut ties with the England squad following the 2023 Rugby World Cup, with his last match for Steve Borthwick's side being the Bronze Final triumph over Argentina in Paris.

After making the decision to remain in the French capital, Farrell ruled himself out of contention for England and has since fallen down the pecking order in the fly half and centre depth charts. Despite a fourth tour with the British & Irish Lions this past Summer, Farrell has not been considered for a return to the Test match stage and will stay put with Saracens for the time being.

The 34-year-old has been in fine form for the North Londoners throughout their current PREM Rugby and Investec Champions Cup campaigns, having tallied up 89 points so far in all competitions.

Farrell guided Sarries to a memorable European Cup win over six-time Champions Stade Toulousain, yet such impressive outings have not shifted him up the fly half rankings for an England return.

Borthwick has opted for George Ford, Marcus Smith and Fin Smith once again, with the Northampton Saints out-half set to continue his current injury rehabilitation with the training squad in Girona.

Now this one is quite the shock, as Alfie Barbeary has once again been overlooked for an England call-up, despite hitting some serious form across the PREM and in Europe. Barbeary will join his fellow clubmate Ted Hill back at the Rec, despite many fans and pundits alike seeing a natural progression for Barbeary into the vacancy left by departing England back row Tom Willis.

The soon to be ex-Saracen has agreed a deal with Bordeaux-Begles for the 2026/27 season, and Barbeary resembled a like-for-like hulking number eight to fill the void once Willis heads to France. It is well known how Steve Borthwick is no longer calling upon Willis for any international duties, which only throws more question marks around the decision to look past Bath's blue, black and white battering ram.

Barbeary's latest outing for the Somerset side saw him collect the Player of the Match award in Bath's impressive 63-10 hammering of Edinburgh in the Champions Cup. This season, Barbeary has one of the most consistent operators for Johann van Graan's side, with an explosive first step denting many a gain-line. Barbeary is still waiting for his full Test debut, yet he is certainly on the international radar, as he ran out for England A in a February clash against Ireland A last year at Ashton Gate.

A wonder-kid who's world is his oyster, Noah Caluori must continue to patiently bide his time before he makes his England senior debut. At just 19-years-old, the explosive wing has cut his teeth with Ampthill in the Championship, before since becomming a StoneX mainstay with Saracens in the PREM.

Caluori's break-out performance was an unforgettable five-try contribution in Saracens' emphatic 65-14 hammering of Sale Sharks. This incredible performance came just 13 days after Caluori bagged a brace for Ampthill in their win over Cornish Pirates, with a rocket-fueled propulsion following up into the England squad. The wing was called up to the wider training group for the 2025 Quilter Nations Series, with Caluori going on to earn international honours with England A against Spain and an All Blacks XV.

The speedster has continued this hot form upon his return to North London, with some stunning outings along the touchlines of the StoneX Stadium and across the country. Caluori picked up a score in Europe against Clermont, and also crossed for two tries in Sarries' hard-fought defeat to Exeter Chiefs. Whilst his fine strike rate has continued, Caluori won't be back in senior England training just yet. Perhaps a run with the England U20s is on the cards, with the U20 Men's Six Nations also on the horizon.

It has been a real roller-coaster few months for Harlequins, with back row Alex Dombrandt doing all he can to steady the side. The Londoners began their PREM Rugby campaign in miserable form, with just two wins from nine matches far below the standard expected from the men in the famous quarters.

However, a resurgence has since emerged in the Champions Cup, as Quins raced to a stunning 61-10 win over URC leaders the Stormers, before then dumping out two-time winners La Rochelle throughout a phenomenal fortnight. Dombrandt was paramount to Quins' latest European surge, yet this form comes too late in the eyes of Steve Borthwick and the England selectors.

Similarly to Alfie Barbeary, Alex Dombrandt could be viewed as the natural next in line to Tom Willis' void in the eight jersey. Dombrandt likely sits ahead of Barbeary, given his bolstered experience with 23 Test caps for England, however the 28-year-old has missed out on the wider training group for the time being. Dombrandt's last England outing was in the Summer, as he starred across the successful tour of Argentina and the United States. The wait continues for the Harlequins man, who could well make the short walk from the Stoop to the Allianz Stadium before the 2026 Six Nations is out.