Sam Simmonds handed first England call-up but Eddie Jones leaves out James Haskell and Marland Yarde
Haskell took part in the summer's British and Irish Lions tour but has been left out of the squad for this November's autumn internationals
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Your support makes all the difference.Sam Simmonds has been handed his first call-up to the England side by Eddie Jones with the Exeter Chiefs back-row rewarded for his impressive form this season, but there is no space in the 34-man squad for flankers James Haskell and Tom Wood and wing Marland Yarde.
Head coach Jones has previously hinted at resting some of the players who were included on the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand in the summer, but Elliot Daly, Owen Farrell, Jonathan Joseph, Maro Itoje, George Kruis, Courtney Lawes, Dan Cole, Jamie George and Mako Vunipola are all included in the squad and will travel to Portugal this week for a pre-autumn international training camp.
Simmonds, who will turn 23 before the first autumn international against Argentina on 11 November, is rewarded for his rich vein of form in both the Premiership and the European Champions Cup, and he is joined in the squad by Wasps No 8 Nathan Hughes, who on Wednesday night was handed a two-week ban that will expire ahead of the match against the Pumas.
However, Haskell is dropped from the squad despite venturing to New Zealand with the Lions in the summer, with the Wasps back-row self-confessed poor form and injury troubles looking to have cost him his place in the England squad.
The 32-year-old Haskell, who has amassed 75 caps, is left out by Jones, with Sale Sharks flanker Tom Curry retained after impressing in Argentina in the summer, while Chris Robshaw and Sam Underhill make up the other recognised flankers – although both Maro Itoje and Courtney Lawes are capable of playing at six.
There is also room for young Bath flanker Zach Mercer, although the former England Under-20s skipper is included as an “apprentice player” along with the Harlequins fly-half Marcus Smith.
Joe Marler is left out of the squad as was expected following his three-week suspension on Wednesday that rules him out of the first two matches against Argentina and Australia, with Matt Mullan and Ellis Genge joining Mako Vunipola as the loosehead prop options with Dan Cole and Exeter's Harry Williams making up the tighthead triumvirate.
Dylan Hartley is included after having his citing this week dismissed, with Jamie George in the squad and looking for his first start in an England shirt after becoming the first-choice Lions hooker in the summer, while Bath's Tom Dunn is named for the first time.
In the backs, Denny Solomona is given a second chance by Jones, having been sent home from August’s training camp after a late-night drinking session with the injured Manu Tuilagi, and he joins Leicester Tigers wing Jonny May, Wasps’ Elliot Daly, Bath’s Anthony Watson and Mike Brown of Harlequins as the options for the back three.
Danny Care and Ben Youngs are the two scrum-halves included, though both Richard Wigglesworth and Jack Maunder are left out of the squad with only two nines named, while George Ford, Owen Farrell, Piers Francis and Alex Lozowski strengthen an area that covers both fly-half and inside centre. Henry Slade will compete with Jonathan Joseph for the outside centre berth, although Daly will also be in the mix as Jones weighs up experimenting with the Wasps utility back.
England squad for autumn internationals
Full backs
Mike Brown (Harlequins)
Elliot Daly (Wasps)
Jonny May (Leicester Tigers)
Denny Solomona (Sale Sharks)
Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby)
Inside backs
Danny Care (Harlequins)
Owen Farrell (Saracens)
George Ford (Leicester Tigers)
Piers Francis (Northampton Saints)
Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby)
Alex Lozowski (Saracens)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins) *
Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
Back five
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby)
Nathan Hughes (Wasps)
Nick Isiekwe (Saracens)
Maro Itoje (Saracens)
George Kruis (Saracens)
Joe Launchbury (Wasps)
Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints)
Zach Mercer (Bath Rugby) *
Chris Robshaw (Harlequins)
Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs)
Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby)
Front row
Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
Tom Dunn (Bath Rugby)
Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers)
Jamie George (Saracens)
Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
Matt Mullan (Wasps)
Mako Vunipola (Saracens)
Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs)
*Apprentice players
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