England Squad Welcomes Coles and Hill for All Blacks Preparation

England head coach Steve Borthwick has included Northampton lock Alex Coles and Bath back row Ted Hill in his training squad. This selection precedes the initial Autumn Nations Series fixture against New Zealand, scheduled for Saturday. Coles and Hill are set to join the England squad as preparations for facing the All Blacks commence. Hill’s call-up follows his player of the match performance in Bath’s Premiership victory over Sale, while Coles’s consistent form for Saints continues to be noted. Additionally, Sale fly-half George Ford has been recalled to the squad, having recovered from a quad injury he sustained in early October. Leicester forward Ollie Chessum has been removed from the squad, pending assessment for a knee injury incurred during England’s training camp in Girona last week. Charlie Ewels is also unavailable as he undergoes return-to-play protocols. Sale wing Tom Roebuck has also been omitted from the 36-player squad designated to prepare for the match against the All Blacks. Centre Henry Slade made his comeback from shoulder surgery during Exeter’s Premiership loss to Harlequins on Sunday, completing 55 minutes in his inaugural game of the current season. The 31-year-old, a consistent presence under Borthwick throughout the year, was released from England’s training camp in Girona to demonstrate his fitness. He expressed optimism that his performance was sufficient for inclusion against New Zealand. “The most important thing was getting back on the pitch and getting into some game scenarios,” Slade stated to TNT Sports. He added, “It is an exciting week, a big week for the country. I look forward to putting my best foot forward, and hopefully I am involved.” This match represents the first of four scheduled fixtures for England in November, with subsequent games against Australia, South Africa, and Japan, all to be held at Allianz Stadium. The forwards selected are: Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Dan Cole (Leicester), Alex Coles (Northampton), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale), Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins), Ben Curry (Sale), Tom Curry (Sale), Theo Dan (Saracens), Trevor Davison (Northampton), Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins), Ben Earl (Saracens), Ellis Genge (Bristol), Jamie George (Saracens), Ted Hill (Bath), Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Joe Marler (Harlequins), George Martin (Leicester), Will Stuart (Bath), Sam Underhill (Bath). The backs are: Elliot Daly (Saracens), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter), George Ford (Sale), Tommy Freeman (Northampton), George Furbank (Northampton), Ollie Lawrence (Bath), Alex Lozowski (Saracens), Luke Northmore (Harlequins), Harry Randall (Bristol), Henry Slade (Exeter), Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton), Fin Smith (Northampton), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Ben Spencer (Bath), Freddie Steward (Leicester), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester).