"South African-Born Star" 5 England Wildcards for the 2023 Rugby World Cup

In a series of Rugby World Cup warm-up matches, Steve Borthwick's side take on Wales twice, alternating between Cardiff and Twickenham. England then head back to Dublin, to take on Ireland for the first time since Andy Farrell's side secured the Grand Slam against them.

The last stop on the road is then Fiji, who have a squad decorated with Northern and Southern hemisphere stars. The flying Fijians could well prove to be a speedbump in the road, before England head out to France and get to work in Pool D.

Squad depth will be key for Borthwick during the Summer, and he will look to call up some fringe players for last-chance run outs before the World Cup. Here are five such players hoping to make a last minute impact, and secure a late spot for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Reports have begun to circulate that Gloucester back-rower Ruan Ackermann could be set for a call up to the England squad. Gloucester Rugby Head Coach George Skivington has reportedly been in conversation with Steve Borthwick, regarding Ackermann's selection for the Rugby World Cup, despite Ackermann's injury concerns.

The 27-year-old is set to undergo knee surgery, following his injury he suffered against La Rochelle, in Gloucester's Heineken Champions Cup round of 16 defeat. La Rochelle prop Georges-Henri Colombe only received a yellow card for his illegal clear out on Ackermann, yet has since been cited for a four match ban.

George Skivington has discussed Ackermann's injury situation, and how the South African-born star is hopeful for an England call-up when he returns from injury, ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Ackermann is eligible to play for England through residency, having been a mainstay at Kingsholm Stadium since joining in 2017.

"Ironically, on the Monday after La Rochelle, I had a long talk with Steve Borthwick about Ruan. He is in the England conversation and his form and work he has put in is the reason for that.

"Ruan does need surgery, but the scans showed it wasn't as bad as it could have been, and the knee has to settle down. It was that 150kg guy (Georges-Henri Colombe) rolling through his knee.

"And that would have finished most of us off. We won't see him again this season, but we have our fingers crossed that the recovery won't be a long slog, like we have had with numerous other players."

2. Jack Nowell

The soon-to-be La Rochelle winger, will be hoping to get an early taste of France ahead of his move at the start of next season. Nowell is among one of nine confirmed first team departures from Exeter Chiefs, as the grip of the reduced salary cap is felt across Devon.

Nowell once went a period of 1,065 days between England caps, as injuries kept the Chiefs winger side-lined, and he struggled to re-claim his place in what was then Eddie Jones' squad. Nowell's England hiatus took place after he faced Scotland in the 2019 Six Nations, until his return in Rome against Italy, almost three years later for the 2022 Six Nations.

A proven scorer when wearing the rose, yet the tries have been spread throughout a sporadic England career. Nowell has crossed over for 14 international tries throughout his eight year career with England, and the Cornishman is also one of just a select few England players to score a hat-trick on debut. Nowell did so in England's 60-3 victory over Uruguay in the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Yet to feature in Steve Borthwick's England plans, Nowell was a high-profile name to have been left out of the 2023 Six Nations squad. Borthwick instead opted for uncapped wingers Ollie Hassall-Collins and Cadan Murley for his inaugural England squad. A last-minute call up for the 30-year-old could see Nowell getting that flight to France, but with a World Cup detour before he settles in La Rochelle.

A consistent name on the team sheet throughout Eddie Jones’ time in charge of England, Vunipola misses out on Borthwick’s first squad selection.

Due to the untimely injury of Tom Curry, it was expected that the Saracen may populate a back-row slot in the squad, but Borthwick looked to Tom's brother Ben Curry for the 2023 Six Nations.

Borthwick has overlooked Billy Vunipola so far during his time in charge, and instead opted for Harlequins' heavy hitter Alex Dombrandt at number eight. Exeter Chiefs back-rower Sam Simmonds has also been around the squad ahead of Vunipola, as has The 2022 Premiership Player of the Year Ben Earl, who was criminally overlooked for England throughout the Eddie Jones era.

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Billy Vunipola has made 68 caps for England, and was a prominent feature at number eight since 2013. A famed ball carrier, capable of bull-dozing over defenders, Vunipola was a fan favourite at his England peak, scoring eight tries. However with so many talented back-rowers competing for places, it is speculated by many that Billy has played his last game for England. A late call up due to an injury could well lead to a Vunipola return, and squad rotation will be key during the run up to the competition.

Vunipola's future at Saracens remains unclear, with the 30-year-old alluding to a move to Australia or Japan on Jim Hamilton's 'Big Jim Show' podcast. Also, With Tom Willis arriving at the Stone X Stadium ahead of next season, Vunipola may be set to depart to overseas opportunities, which could well halt his chances of further England selections.

Mike Brown has enjoyed a recent career resurgence, since joining Leicester Tigers at the end of January. The 37-year-old struggled to fit into the fold at Newcastle Falcons, and believed that he was overlooked due to his age. Brown gave an impassioned post-match interview, following his player of the match performance on his Tigers debut; "People use age as an excuse to write you off."

The fullback has returned to his fabled top form, and is providing nostalgic performances week after week in the Premiership. The Harlequins legend last played for England during the 2018 Summer Tour to South Africa, when Eddie Jones' side lost the series 2-1 to the Springboks. Brown scored his 13th and final England try in the second test, yet England were eventually overrun by South Africa 23-12.

In his five appearances for the Tigers, Brown has already scored twice, crossing over against Gloucester and Saracens, and has also has an assist to his name. He is back to his line-running best, and is proving to be a handful for the Premiership's defenders. 17 defenders beaten with ball in hand, sees Brown once again become a threatening force in the top flight of English rugby.

With such a fine return to form, Brown is by no means a 'write-off' for England selection. His new home at Leicester could also prove to play to his favour, as he would be able to work seamlessly with Freddie Steward, Jack van Poortvliet and co, as Borthwick selects some of his former Tigers faithfuls.

The exciting Harlequins winger was unfortunate to not have already made his England debut, after being initially named in Steve Borthwick's squad for the 2023 Six Nations. Murley was named as one of five uncapped England hopefuls, yet was unable to make his mark in a white shirt. The 23-year-old was promptly returned home to the Twickenham Stoop, with Gloucester winger Jonny May called into the squad ahead of Murley, after a short injury concern to Max Malins.

Murley has been wasting no time back at Quins, and looks to be playing with an ignited fire inside of him. Murley currently leads the way for clean breaks, out of any Premiership player this season, with 24 made. He has also made the 3rd most metres with the ball-in-hand this Premiership campaign, with 986m made so far. A dangerous threat in attack, Murley's 13 tries for Harlequins has seen him turn defenders inside-out, and stamp his claim for an England debut.

Always ready to rise to the big occasion, Murley plays with the confidence of a veteran far beyond his years. A firm fan favourite at the Stoop, the winger has already caught Borthwick's attention, and could certainly be called in to reinforce the England squads back line. A World Cup is a marathon, and with Murley's impressive abilities at the sprint, he should be included in Borthwick's plans in some capacity come September.

Expect the young Harlequins winger to make his debut during the upcoming Rugby World Cup Warm-Up matches, and shake off any international nerves. Getting this experience in a 'friendly' environment can benefit Murley, as he hopes to book his place on the squad list for France.