Surprise selection in England squad has irked many fans on Twitter

Eddie Jones has announced his 31-man squad to train this week ahead of the final Six Nations match against Scotland, and there is one noticeable change that has caught many fans’ attention on Twitter.

The Australian has opted to call up Marcus Smith to the training squad, with many bewildered why Danny Cipriani is overlooked again.

This comes after a Cipriani inspired Gloucester to a dominant win over Harlequins at the Stoop on Sunday. To make matters worse, Smith was on the bench for Quins.

It is not necessarily Cipriani’s omission that has shocked so many fans, rather the decision to select Smith over him. The former Wasps 10 is one of the form players in the Premiership, and his display against Harlequins showed that. His exclusion has left many fans once again wondering what he has to do to work his way back into the England squad, particularly with precious little time ahead of the World Cup in September.

This is the reaction from the fans:

Of course, not selecting Cipriani should come as no surprise to many, as after all, he has been omitted from the England team on plenty of occasions. However, it is just the fact that Jones opted to select Smith ahead of him.

While the 20-year-old Smith certainly has a very bright future with England, and will play a prominent role after the World Cup, very few would say that he is the third best fly-half in England currently. Cipriani’s display against Harlequins yesterday resoundly proved that point.

This latest selection has left many fans resigned to the fact that the mercurial Gloucester 10 will never play for England again. Cipriani’s face just doesn’t seem to fit with England after a long career that has seen some controversy, and many fans are accepting that.

This is what they are saying: