England World Cup squad: Steve Borthwick says positional 'flexibility' key to selection

England's players were progressive successful a photoshoot and interviews with the media connected Monday aft the World Cup squad was announced

England manager Steve Borthwick says the "positional flexibility" of players was an "important aspect" of his squad enactment for the Rugby World Cup.

"There are bully players unluckily that you can't select," said Borthwick.

"I'd emotion determination to beryllium much than 33 I tin pick, but I can't. Being constricted to that, players volition miss out."

• Who made England's World Cup squad?

Slade, who was picked for the erstwhile 2 World Cups, has appeared successful 30 of England's past 37 Tests and was the highest-profile omission from the squad for the upcoming tourney successful France.

Asked astir his absence, Borthwick said: "There are bully players competing for each of these positions. I decided we'll person 3 players successful cardinal positions - beforehand row, scrum-half, fly-half - for the evident reasons.

"What that means is successful different areas of the team, you request to person positional flexibility and you request to marque immoderate compromises.

"As you look astatine the squad, determination are a fig of players who tin play 12 oregon 13. Joe [Marchant] gives you that helping cover, Elliot Daly, Ollie Lawrence and Manu Tuilagi tin play 13, you've got the quality of Owen [Farrell] to play astatine 10 oregon 12.

"We've got flexibility passim the centres, which has been an important aspect."

Another talking constituent from Borthwick's last enactment is the inclusion of lone 1 specializer fig eight, Billy Vunipola, who has not played since April due to the fact that of a genu injury.

Borthwick said the Saracens subordinate is "as acceptable arsenic I've ever seen him" and believes helium has plentifulness of further options successful that area.

He added: "There's a batch of contention successful that backmost row, there's besides flexibility successful that backmost enactment astir positions. You've got Lewis Ludlam's quality to play successful each three, Ben Earl's quality to play 7 and eight, Tom Curry astatine 7 and 8 and astatine the past World Cup helium played six.

"There's a batch of flexibility there, for maine it's astir making decisions astir the close combinations and yet that's what it's travel down to."

Owen Farrell (left) captained England successful their 2019 World Cup last decision by South Africa successful Japan

'It's a fantastic tourney - you don't privation to discarded one'

There is simply a substance of younker and acquisition wrong the England squad, with 16 players surviving from the radical that was beaten successful the 2019 last by South Africa successful Japan.

Versatile Racing 92 backmost Henry Arundell, 20, is the youngest antheral selected portion 3 players - Ben Youngs, Courtney Lawes and Dan Cole - volition beryllium appearing astatine their 4th World Cup.

Captain Owen Farrell spoke astatine a media league connected Monday alongside centre Lawrence, backmost enactment Earl and scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet, 3 of 16 players who volition beryllium experiencing a World Cup for the archetypal time.

Farrell said: "I tin lone beryllium present and archer them however peculiar it is, what a tourney we're astir to play in, what an accidental we've got to get the champion of ourselves and to bask taking the champion of ourselves to the remainder of the world.

"It's a fantastic tournament, 1 that comes astir each 4 years. You don't privation to discarded one. This is arsenic bully arsenic it gets. We're each looking guardant to it."

Farrell added that helium planned to talk to Slade, who helium said helium had been sharing a country with during England's grooming campy for the past 4 weeks.

"The boys that person conscionable missed retired are a large portion of this preparation," added the Saracens fly-half. "When it comes to immoderate squad, there's a batch of contention and particularly with England wherever determination are a batch of bully players.

"There were ever going to beryllium bully players that missed out. That's ever the lawsuit with squads here."

Sleepless nights and tearful parents - the emotions of a World Cup call-up

Earl's spot successful the 33-man enactment was confirmed successful a speech with Borthwick connected Sunday morning, the time aft England's disappointing warm-up nonaccomplishment to Wales successful Cardiff.

The Saracens antheral said: "It was precise early, astir 9 o'clock successful the greeting truthful I'd conscionable got up arsenic I'd had a spot of a sleepless night.

"The speech I had with him was truly encouraging successful presumption of what helium wanted retired of me.

"The happening Steve's done since he's travel successful is he's truly encouraged america to beryllium the players we are and not acceptable into different mould oregon effort to beryllium thing different. He wants to spot our strengths and however we tin enactment our champion ft forward."

While Earl's inclusion was somewhat successful the balance, Van Poortvliet was wide expected to beryllium named arsenic 1 of 3 scrum-halves successful Borthwick's squad.

Van Poortvliet, who volition vie with Leicester team-mate Ben Youngs and Harlequins' Danny Care to commencement astatine nine, broke the quality of his call-up to his household successful a telephone telephone portion they were connected a car journey.

"My sister had conscionable moved her worldly into her caller assemblage house," helium said. "My mum cried a batch which was beauteous hard to woody with, but it was truly bully and truly special."

England statesman their World Cup run against Argentina successful Marseille connected 9 September, with Japan, Chile and Samoa their different opponents successful Pool D.

Before their World Cup opener, Borthwick's squad volition play warm-up fixtures against Wales (12 August), Ireland (19 August) and Fiji (26 August).