England name 36-man squad for November Tests against Australia, Japan and New Zealand

Steve Borthwick has named a 36-man England training squad for three autumn Tests: Australia on 8 November, Japan on 14 November and New Zealand on 21 November. A training squad is a wider group than the players who will finally take the field, so the final matchday selections are still to come.

The games matter for more than November. BBC Sport reports that there are just nine competitive matches left for the home nations before the 2027 Rugby World Cup starts in Australia. Those fixtures sit inside the inaugural Nations Championship, the new competition that pits the leading international teams against each other, which resumes in November.

Joe Marchant has been recalled, and Will Joseph is in the group after an excellent start to the season for Gloucester. Charlie Atkinson was called up on Monday morning. Borthwick has also picked two uncapped players, meaning players who have never yet won an England cap. Archie McParland is a third scrum-half, the back-up to the player who passes the ball from the base of the scrum and ruck. Kepu Tuipulotu is a third hooker, the forward who strikes for the ball in scrums and throws in at lineouts.

Not everyone is available. Benhard Janse van Rensburg is out injured. Seb Atkinson and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso are on the rehab list, meaning they are working back to full fitness away from the main group. Fin Smith will miss training this week with a calf niggle, a minor muscle complaint that is not thought to be serious.

Looking further ahead, The Times has reported that Borthwick will pick a 33-man squad to travel to Australia for the 2027 World Cup. That makes this autumn a chance for players to press their case, and for the coaching staff to see who is ready for the bigger stage.

For the squad, the next step is training and then the first Test against the Wallabies, Australia's nickname, on 8 November. Each name in the group is a case still being made.