LONDON: England head coach Stuart Lancaster yesterday included uncapped pair Calum Clark and Billy Twelvetrees in his 33-man squad for the Six Nations, which starts on February 2.
Northampton forward Clark returns to the England fold after serving a 32-week ban for breaking an opponent’s elbow last year.
Joe Launchbury, Tom Youngs, Mako Vunipola and Freddie Burns have also been promoted to the senior squad after making an impact in England’s end-of-year internationals.
Lancaster, who also announced a 32-man squad for the second-string Saxons team, said: “The fact that we have spent significant time deliberating over quite a few players shows how tough the competition is to get into this 65 and the strength in depth that is emerging.
“We have made some changes to both squads and we feel that reflects the players’ form during the first half of the season.
“There will undoubtedly be movement between the two squads as we go through the RBS 6 Nations and that was evident in the QBE Internationals, with players in form pushing through such as Freddie Burns, Joe Launchbury, Tom Youngs and Mako Vunipola.” AFP
