England head coach Steve Borthwick has made a major selection call ahead of the Autumn Internationals, leaving out Saracens number eight Tom Willis after the player confirmed he will move to France next season — a decision that effectively ends his England prospects.
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Willis has been omitted after informing Borthwick of his decision to leave Saracens at the end of the season to join Bordeaux in France, a move that will make him ineligible for England selection under current rules. Borthwick confirmed he had a personal conversation with the player late last week.
“Tom told me his decision late last week, gave me a call and talked about some of the reasons he made the decision he has made to play in the future overseas,” Borthwick said. “That was a private conversation so I am not going into those reasons but he knows how highly I rate him as a player and a person and I wished him well.
“I think he also understands why I have decided all the time we have should be invested in players who are going to be at the World Cup in two years’ time. We are aiming to win a World Cup for England, we want to win now and we want to win that World Cup in two years’ time.
“Tom is not going to be part of that World Cup, given the decision he has made and he understands that, he understands the decision I made. I wished him well. He thought long and hard and found it a very tough decision to make so I wished him well.”
Gearing up ⚙️🌹
Steve Borthwick has named his 36-player squad for a three-day training camp ahead of the upcoming @QuilterNations.@O2 | #WearTheRose
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) October 19, 2025
Willis, who was handed an enhanced EPS contract back in August, remains under contract with the union for now, but Borthwick made it clear his focus has moved on. “The contract is in place and from my point of view after he told me last week my focus has been on this camp and this selection and not on contracts between a player and the union. I am focused on this.”
Pressed on whether losing a player of Willis’s calibre to France signalled a wider issue, Borthwick was philosophical. “I think that you can see with Fin Smith, George Ford committing their futures to English rugby in recent weeks. If you go back a period of time, you’ve seen other big figures of English rugby committing their future – Maro Itoje a year or so ago.
“I think that we’ve got a group of players that are passionate about playing for England. Tom has made a decision, players have decisions to make. I would expect this squad, with the talent we have, to be wanted by clubs all around the place and have big offers put in front of them. George Ford being a prime example of it, committing his future to English rugby.”
Borthwick admitted he was disappointed to lose Willis but emphasised his duty to look forward. “I’ll say exactly what I said to Tom on the phone. I think he’s a wonderful rugby player and a great bloke. He’s made a decision. Players have to make decisions and everyone makes decisions for their own individual reasons. It’s not for me to go into that decision he has made.
“My job is to then focus on who is going to be playing for England to win that World Cup in two years’ time and who I should be investing time with now.”
New season, same Henry Pollock 🥳
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— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) October 11, 2025
Borthwick pointed to the depth of options England have in the back row, highlighting the likes of Ben Earl, Chandler Cunningham-South and Henry Pollock as capable of stepping up. “The vast majority of games over the last two years have been started, at No.8, by Ben Earl. We all see Henry Pollock, with his ball carrying ability being strong in that position and Chandler.
“Unfortunately Chandler can’t train tomorrow but should be fit next week hopefully. I think we have got a multitude of options,” he said.
He also praised the versatility and dynamism within England’s back row stocks. “You start looking at that back row, looking at Emeka (Ilione), Sam Underhill and Guy Pepper and Tom Curry when he is fit and Ben Curry who will be back fit soon and Chandler, we have got good back row speed and dynamism with the talent we have got.”
Tom Curry and Elliot Daly remain on track to return from injury during the autumn window, though they are not expected to feature against Australia. “At some stage in the autumn, I am sure both of them will be available to play,” said Borthwick. “That’s the assessment which is being made right now. There’s still some medical sign-offs that you need to have but they are pretty well advanced. They are certainly not far away.”
Among the faces in camp is 23-year-old Leicester back-rower Emeka Ilione, who Borthwick praised for his work rate and technical ability. “His performances in the second half of last season were exceptional, most of them were off the bench finishing games and he had a big impact.
“The start of this season he’s continued that, including his ability at No 8. Everyone would say he is a brilliant jackaller… I’ll add a slight nuance to that – he’s fantastic over the ball, stealing ball and not conceding penalties. He’s the best I can see at stealing the ball and doing it in a way that means the referee rewards him and doesn’t give penalties against him.”
Noah Caluori has got INSANE verticals 🛩️
Sam Warburton can barely believe what he’s watching from the 19-year-old flyer!
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— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) October 18, 2025
Another exciting name included is 19-year-old Saracens wing Noah Caluori, invited to train after scoring five tries on his first Prem start against Sale Sharks on Saturday. Borthwick revealed Caluori has long been on England’s radar. “It seems to you [that he is here quickly]. It was over a year ago that I started getting sent footage from Conor O’Shea, Mark Mapletoft and Jonathan Pendlebury.
“Clearly the work he has done in pre season at Saracens and the start of the season he has had there, and it is immense credit to Saracens, he has had some experience. He has been on the radar for a good period of time.”
With Australia less than two weeks away, Borthwick is under no illusions about the challenge ahead. “The great challenge we have is that preparation time and bringing the team together quickly.
“What that means is us using every minute to ensure we’re as well prepared as possible, keeping the preparations simple, going after two or three things and trying to do those things super well. I have full confidence in these players to come together quickly.”
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5 PLAYERS TO WATCH: ENGLAND PRE-AUTUMN NATIONS SERIES TRAINING CAMP
1. NOAH CALUORI (SARACENS)
Bursting onto the scene following a sensational performance in the fourth round of the Gallagher PREM, is Saracens’ latest break-out talent Noah Caluori. The hot-stepping wing was the headline act of the past weekend of the English top flight, as Caluori scored an astonishing five tries as Saracens dismantled Sale Sharks down at the StoneX Stadium.
This win over the Manchester club was only Caluori’s third PREM Rugby fixture, as the 19-year-old has been fast-tracked into the England squad under a ‘Development Player’ role. England fans have become steadily familiar with this terminology over the years, with the likes of Marcus Smith taking up the role ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Caluori has gained previous international honours within the England U20 set-up, as the 19-year-old starred for Mark Mapletoft’s side throughout the latest U20 World Championships.
Caluori made his Saracens debut in the latest pre-season, as he ran out for the North Londoners in the PREM Rugby Cup defeat to Leicester Tigers. The future is certainly bright for Caluori, should he keep up this meteoric rise to prominence and take valuable learnings from his time within the senior England environment. Remember the name with big things expected from the bright young spark.
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