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Bristol Bears captain Fitz Harding has once again had to make do with the consolation prize when it comes to international rugby, with the 27-year-old flanker named as the skipper of the England Men's 'A' training squad preparing to face Argentina XV at The Rec this Friday.
Harding will lead the 'A' side for a second time, having taken his country to a 29-25 victory over Spain in Valladolid in 2025 and gets the honour of doing so despite the 30-man squad containing eight men capped players, including Charlie Atkinson, Jamie Blamire, Noah Caluori, Joe Carpenter, George Kloska, Luke Northmore, Max Ojomoh and Ethan Roots.
With Bath's Guy Pepper out with an ankle injury and his clubmate Sam Underhill recovering from surgery on his bicep, this Autumn's Nations Championship games had looked like Harding's best opportunity to break into the senior England side, but head coach Steve Borthwick has opted to promote Northampton Saints' Tom Pearson instead.
The England A squad, which is preparing in Bath, was selected through a cooperative approach involving England A boss Mark Mapletoft, Borthwick, and Conor O'Shea, RFU Executive Director of Rugby Performance.
New faces in the squad include Lucas Friday, Max Hicks, Will Knight, Alex O'Driscoll, James Pater and Will Trenholm.
Saints full-back Pater and Cherry and Whites back Knight are current U20 Elite Player Squad internationals called up from Andy Titterrell's side, with recent graduates Caluori and Friday also involved.
Nineteen of the squad have progressed through the England Men's Pathway with caps at U18 or U20 level, underlining the strength of the player development pathway.
Mark Mapletoft said: “This squad brings together a group of players who have earned an exciting opportunity through their performances, marking the start of an important week of connection, growth and learning.
"The 'A' programme plays a key role in strengthening the identity of English rugby, creating alignment across the pathway and giving players the chance to experience what it means to represent England in a high-performance environment.
"There is real ambition within this group, and we are looking forward to building strong relationships, developing cohesion and unity, and taking another step forward together ahead of a physical and demanding test at The Rec.”
England Men’s ‘A’ training squad for Argentina XV fixture (includes current club, community club and senior men's caps)
George Kloska (Bristol Bears, St. Brendan’s RFC, 2 caps)
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