England coach Steve Borthwick called up three uncapped players, including two props, for his Six Nations squad on Friday as he deals with something of a front-row injury crisis and plots to win the title for the first time in six years
Bath's 20-year-old Vilikesa "Billy" Sela and Emmanuel Iyogun of Northampton Saints, along with powerful Exeter back row Greg Fisilau are the new faces in a squad of 36.
George Furbank is included despite playing only a handful of games for Northampton this season due to a calf problem.
He was England’s first-choice fullback until he broke his arm in December 2024 and Borthwick has turned to Freddie Steward and Marcus Smith in his absence.
Seb Atkinson also returns to challenge for a midfield berth, having impressed last summer against Argentina, but then missing the November internationals through injury.
Also back is Jack van Poortvliet, replacing Raffi Quirke as one of three scrumhalves.
There is no place for Saracens' spring-heeled 19-year-old Noah Caluori, who was included in the squad during the autumn.
Among a long list of initial injury absentees are flyhalf Fin Smith and winger Tom Roebuck, who were regulars through 2025 as England chalked up 11 wins in a row,but they could still be back for the start of the tournament.
Heading back into camp 🏕️
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) January 23, 2026
Steve Borthwick has named his 36-player squad for the upcoming @SixNationsRugby 🌹@O2 | #WearTheRose | #ClubToCountry
"We’ve picked a squad with a good balance of experience, leadership and exciting potential," Borthwick said after announcing the group at Twickenham before he takes them to a training camp in Girona next week.
"I'm really pleased for Billy Sela - his first time in the senior squad - he's a player of exceptional talent and potential. Greg and Manny have been in the squad for different periods of time and I think they're both playing really well. In a sense we've always known which players are on that depth chart and who are ready to come in."
Atkinson, a hard-running 12, gives Borthwick another option in a midfield where he has been juggling options since his arrival but now appears to be picking from a position of strength.
"With Sladey (Henry Slade) and Tommy Freeman now moving into the centre, that gives us great competition for places there," he said.
"Fraser Dingwall has been around the squad for a good period and in Seb and Max Ojomoh, and continuing with Ollie Lawrence's rehab, I think we've got depth in that position."
England will expect to extend their winning run with an opening match at home to struggling Wales on February 7.
They then visit Scotland before hosting Ireland, playing Italy in Rome and finishing off away to France on March 14.
They last won the Six Nations championship in 2020 under Eddie Jones but Borthwick was upbeat about ending that drought.
"I could sense when we met up with the players a couple of weeks ago there was a great excitement," he said. "They really can't wait to get going into this tournament.
"It's a brilliant championship, lots of good teams in it so we can't wait to get going."
ENGLAND'S 36-PLAYER TRAINING SQUAD:
Forwards:
Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 30 caps)
Arthur Clark (Gloucester Rugby, 1 cap)
Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 14 caps)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 53 caps)
Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 20 caps)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 65 caps)
Theo Dan (Saracens, 20 caps)
Trevor Davison (Northampton Saints, 3 caps)
Ben Earl (Saracens, 46 caps)
Greg Fisilau (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped)
Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 75 caps)
Jamie George (Saracens, 105 caps)
Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 17 caps)
Maro Itoje (Saracens, 97 caps) – captain
Emmanuel Iyogun (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby, 7 caps)
Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints, 5 caps)
Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks, 10 caps)
Vilikesa Sela (Bath Rugby, uncapped)
Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 45 caps)
Backs:
Henry Arundell (Bath Rugby, 11 caps)
Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby, 2 caps)
Elliot Daly (Saracens, 74 caps)
Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, 7 caps)
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs, 13 caps)
George Ford (Sale Sharks, 105 caps)
Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 22 caps)
George Furbank (Northampton Saints, 14 caps)
Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 27 caps)
Cadan Murley (Harlequins, 4 caps)
Max Ojomoh (Bath Rugby, 2 caps)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 74 caps)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 46 caps)
Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby, 14 caps)
Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 41 caps)
Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers, 21 caps)
Rehabilitation in Girona: Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Ben Curry (Sale Sharks), Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby), Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks), Fin Smith (Northampton Saints).
Not considered for selection (injured): Oscar Beard (Harlequins), Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby), Curtis Langdon (Northampton Saints), George Martin (Leicester Tigers), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks), Adam Radwan (Leicester Tigers), Will Stuart (Bath Rugby).