England rugby squad LIVE: World Cup announcement reaction as Steve Borthwick leaves out Henry Slade

BACKS (14)

Scrum half (3): Jack van Poortvliet, Danny Care, Ben Youngs

Just as at tighthead, no choice to be made here, with Borthwick signposting his intention to take three nines when slimming his squad down earlier in the summer. An emphasis on game control and a kick-pressure strategy is perhaps reflected in the chosen three: Ben Youngs and Danny Care bring oodles of experience while Jack van Poortvliet is the furthest along of the next generation in that regard.

Fly half (3): Owen Farrell (captain), George Ford, Marcus Smith

Fly half is another position where Borthwick has shown his hand, suggesting on Thursday that all three of his squad members will make the 33. England have three fine playmakers at their disposal – Owen Farrell produced some of the best rugby of his career for Saracens last season and is a certain starter after being appointed captain.

“My decision not to select Marcus Smith in my original British and Irish Lions squad for South Africa remains one of my burning regrets from the 2021 tour,” Warren Gatland says in his Telegraph column.

“I should have held my nerve, backed my instinct. Smith was one of the main points for discussion during our selection meeting. I am not watching England’s training every day and not privy to how the players are performing, but looking from the outside, I would be starting him.

“I think the game of rugby and home need superstars - it needs guys like that kids want to emulate and buy their shirts. I hope he does go on to have a great career – as long as it is not against Wales!”

“There can be no doubt that this was one of the poorest games I’ve ever seen England play,” Sir Clive Woodward said in his Mail column.

“It was ragged, disjointed, lacking accuracy and on the whole, well below par. There were errors everywhere.

“The biggest disappointment from an English perspective was the set-piece. For all the team’s recent struggles across the board, England’s scrum and line-out are normally very good. But in Cardiff, they were nowhere near the standard required to win international matches. In Test rugby, the set-piece is everything and England weren’t at the races.”

Speaking to Amazon Prime, Steve Borthwick added: “The positive is how many entries we got into the opposition 22 and into their scoring zone.

“I thought in the first half we created a lot of opportunities but turned over too much ball in the opposition 22.

“You can’t do that in Test rugby, so immediately there are some areas for improvement.”

Lewis Ludlam admits it is “hard to not think about it” as the selection waiting game for England‘s World Cup hopefuls nears its conclusion.

England head coach Steve Borthwick will name his 33-strong World Cup squad on Monday morning.

It follows an opening tournament warm-up performance against Wales that badly misfired, with some World Cup prospects undoubtedly falling by the wayside as Warren Gatland’s team triumphed 20-9 in Cardiff.

Northampton captain Ludlam’s performance was among the few highlights, delivering a trademark display that bristled with intent and purpose, while an ability to cover all three back-row positions makes him a priceless asset for Borthwick.

“I tried my hardest and that is all you can ask for,” said Ludlam, who made England‘s final World Cup cut for Japan four years ago. It has been brilliant, the amount of competition we’ve had in the back-row over the past six weeks.

“We have learnt a lot from each other and there has been some healthy competition as well. It’s a tough decision to make. Like I say, the competition is so good and that has been a real positive this campaign.

“It has really pushed us all on and you can’t be too comfortable in this environment with so many good back-rowers coming through. It (World Cup selection) might be at the back of a lot of people’s minds, it is hard to not think about it.”

Kyle Sinckler insists missing out on Lions selection was like being dumped by a girlfriend in an experience that has left him uncertain of his place in England‘s World Cup squad.

Sinckler is set to be picked in Steve Borthwick’s 33-man group that is announced on Monday morning with little doubt over his inclusion given he is first choice tighthead prop.

But the 30-year-old refuses to assume he will take part in his second World Cup after he was excluded from Warren Gatland’s British and Irish Lions squad in 2021 despite being considered a certainty to tour South Africa.

Andrew Porter was picked by Gatland, only for the Ireland front row to be ruled out by a toe injury, offering Sinckler a reprieve.

“The Lions experience taught me never to... I can’t really find another word for ‘granted’ because I don’t want to say I took it for granted... but I was like, ‘I’ve got a pretty good shot here’. And I ended up missing out on the squad,” Sinckler said.

“I was absolutely devastated and I was like, ‘I’m never going to have that little voice in my head ever saying ‘You’ll be all right’.

“That experience in itself was just crazy. Because obviously I initially didn’t make the squad and then you come to terms with that, you wish the boys the best of luck and you are focused on what you need to do.

“Then unfortunately for Andrew, he picked up an injury and that means I’m in - just as I was getting over it.

“It was like an ex dumping you and just as you’re getting over it all of a sudden she wants you back. You’re messing with my head! So it was a strange one.

“It’s about having that humility and respect for the game because rugby can humble you very quickly.”

FORWARDS (19)

Loosehead props (3): Ellis Genge (vice-captain), Joe Marler, Bevan Rodd

Omitted: Mako Vunipola (injury)

Mako Vunipola is thought to be unlikely to be fit for the World Cup after being sent back to Saracens to rehab, creating room for Bevan Rodd in the 33. Vice-captain Ellis Genge is a certain starter as one of England’s few consistently excellent performers over the last few years and Joe Marler’s set-piece nous is highly valued by Steve Borthwick.

After a sloppy performance in defeat against Wales, Steve Borthwick and the rest of the England coaching staff convened in a Cardiff hotel on Saturday evening to choose their final 33-player squad for the Rugby World Cup.

Borthwick has elected to name his selection early, three weeks ahead of the deadline, to give his players clarity and time to build cohesion ahead of the tournament, with England lagging behind many of the world’s best sides.

The chosen 33 will assemble at Twickenham on Monday morning. Here’s a look at the squad that Borthwick could select.

Good morning and welcome to the Independent’s live coverage of England’s announcement for their Rugby World Cup 2023 squad.

It’s a massive day for Steve Borthwick, who has made some tough calls over the last 24 hours.

There will be several disappointed players, denied the chance to shine on the big stage in France.

And after defeat to Wales last weekend, Borthwick is under pressure to quickly pick up momentum in the remaining warm-up games.

Follow for live updates and build-up, a full squad list and reaction to the news later this morning.