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England squad update: Harry Randall among four players released

20 Feb 2024

England's Harry Randall (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Steve Borthwick has cut four players from his Guinness Six Nations squad for next Saturday’s round three match in Scotland, releasing them for A team duty on Sunday versus Portugal in Leicester.

The England head coach had confirmed that a squad of 36 on Sunday evening would meet for two days of senior team training at Pennyhill Park, including Harry Randall for the injured No9 Alex Mitchell and the fit-again midfielder Ollie Lawrence at the expense of his uncapped Bath teammate Will Muir.

However, while Lawrence has been kept on ahead of Thursday’s team announcement for the championship game in Edinburgh, Randall’s stay at Pennyhill was short-lived.

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He will now reroute to George Skivington’s A team at Loughborough University ahead of England’s first match at that level since the 2016 Saxons tour to South Africa.

The decision means that Danny Care and Ben Spencer will be the two scrum-halves named in Borthwick’s match day 23 to face Scotland following the knee injury suffered by the first-choice Mitchell.

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Also joining Randall in the switch from Pennyhill to Loughborough will be Charlie Ewels, Joe Heyes and Max Ojomoh, as they have also been released for A team duty following first-team training.

Randall had originally been named in the squad of 27 last Thursday for the A game, but the emergence of Mitchell’s injury saw the Bristol No9 start his week with Borthwick’s first-team squad.

The further addition to the A squad of the already Borthwick-omitted Muir will increase the number of players Skivington now has with him for the Mattioli Woods Welford Road fixture to 31.

The England Men's A squad in full: pic.twitter.com/GOakiEqiGl
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 20, 2024

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Comments on RugbyPass

CM 38 minutes ago

Many Springboks fans are saying same thing about the Lions

Unfortunately as an Aussie, I only foresee further decline for the sport in Aus. The AFL and NRL are both looking to expand and are both as wealthy as ever. Any bit of talent is going to be eaten up by those behemoths and what will be left over for Aus rugby is likely going to be not much better then the talent we currently have, which is substandard.

110 Go to comments

CM 49 minutes ago

Andy Goode: Aussie comments didn't cover them in glory

As an Australian, I can cop the loss, they were just too good the Lions. They probably werent ready mentally for what Aus threw at them but credit to them, they come back beautifully. It was a great performance by the Wallabies and hopefully that will endear themselves to the Aussie public after a long streak of poor results.

10 Go to comments

CM 52 minutes ago

Andy Goode: Aussie comments didn't cover them in glory

No they wouldnt you tool, were you even alive in 2005? This Lions squad is one of the strongest Ive ever seen and they would seriously challenge the Boks and All Blacks as evidenced by their last tours. Dont talk rubbish son.

10 Go to comments

GM 1 hour ago

Andy Goode: Aussie comments didn't cover them in glory

Even Martin Johnson admitted that Morgan’s cleanout might have been a penalty in minute one, but not in minute 80, given it would decide the test (and series). I don’t get that. If it’s a penalty, it’s a penalty, no matter the timing. Its does seem that, after the debacle of the last few minutes in 2017, when there was a clear off-side by the Lions, giving a game and series winning penalty to the All Blacks right in front of the sticks, that the rugby powers have decided that the Lions cannot lose. That’s okay, but please let the fans know before they waste their money watching what is supposed to be an even playing field.

10 Go to comments

cw 1 hour ago

'Gutted' Joe Schmidt makes feelings clear over match-deciding call

Rules dont work that way. Its a bit like driving - Tizzano was there first, and has right of way. If he cant be moved legally, he cant be moved and he wins the penalty.

28 Go to comments

BA 1 hour ago

Carlo Tizzano jackal lingers over Lions series win

If you listen to ref the contact is illegal in that he makes contact with neck and went in with arms out doesn’t tuck but deemed mitigation as a rugby collision as the arrive at the same time ..now Tizzano is def there first imo

53 Go to comments

BA 1 hour ago

Carlo Tizzano jackal lingers over Lions series win

He is to the side and slightly to the back of Porter not ref obstruction if ref ain’t in front

53 Go to comments

sf 2 hours ago

Many Springboks fans are saying same thing about the Lions

The boks played 3 easy games to start the year off and struggled to beat a unproven All Blacks team with new coaching staff at home. Nobody knows how they are going to play this year as they haven’t had a proper challenge yet.

110 Go to comments

BA 2 hours ago

British & Irish Lions player ratings vs Wallabies | 2nd Test 2025 Lions series

Missed multiple kicks at goal threw that pass out kicked one out on the full 6 is fair go I reckon

22 Go to comments

Utiku Old Boy 2 hours ago

'Gutted' Joe Schmidt makes feelings clear over match-deciding call

That is a load of BS.

28 Go to comments

Utiku Old Boy 2 hours ago

'Gutted' Joe Schmidt makes feelings clear over match-deciding call

Too right.

28 Go to comments

BA 3 hours ago

'Gutted' Joe Schmidt makes feelings clear over match-deciding call

If you listen to the ref the contact is a “rugby collision” because they arrive at the ball instantaneously with his eye (along with other refs) but if Morgan is a sec later that is def a penalty on the “contact” but was unavoidable due to both players going down to the collision at same time , now in your eye who was there first?

28 Go to comments

BH 3 hours ago

Andy Goode: Aussie comments didn't cover them in glory

Everybody knows that if the Wallabies won in similar circumstances, all those UK journalists and former players would be throwing their toys out of the cot and crying like babies. So don’t act holier than thou.

And this is an A+ 9.5/10 Lions team with world-class depth made up of multiple standout players in every single position. On paper they should absolutely flog the bajeezus out of the woeful Wallabies and so far they’ve been barely above average in the two tests.

10 Go to comments

BA 3 hours ago

'Gutted' Joe Schmidt makes feelings clear over match-deciding call

With you on this “instantaneous “ even live I saw Tizzano there first and at the ball easy, Morgan gets there 1 sec later and we not even having this argument as he does hit him on the neck, Joes “gutted” but I don’t think he is upset reckon he is bloody proud

28 Go to comments

SM 3 hours ago

Michael Hooper weighs in on Jac Morgan clear-out

Huh. That's interesting. So how do any of the other 29 players who were cleared out like that during the match manage to get right back up and keep on going. Weird it affected him so badly at that specific time, when Aus really needed a penalty. Very peculiar indeed!

77 Go to comments

BA 3 hours ago

'Gutted' Joe Schmidt makes feelings clear over match-deciding call

Would Rassie have bookended it with ? “ players make errors officials make errors we just have to accept that “ if he said exactly what Joe has Rassie would be in exactly the same position nothing to answer for, Joe was clear on his opinion but ultimately spoke little about it, all in all with the different aspects of the clean out the decision comes down to one thing was it instantaneous? If Morgan did the same thing 1 second later that is def a penalty