BEN TE’O IS in line to make his England Test debut in next month’s November internationals.
The former Leinster back was included today as coach Eddie Jones tried to plug the gaps in an injury-hit squad.
Northampton’s Tom Wood is recalled to the squad for the first time under Jones with a back-row injury crisis ruling James Haskell, Jack Clifford, Sam Jones and Mike Williams out of the four home Tests against South Africa, Fiji, Argentina and Australia.
The 29-year-old won the last of his 42 caps against Uruguay in England’s World Cup finale.
It appeared his Test career was at an end after Wood said in January that Jones had told him he was “distinctly average”.
But he now finds himself back in a much-changed England squad that will look to preserve Jones’s unbeaten run of nine straight wins.
Te’o is one of six uncapped players in the 33-man squad along with fly-half Alex Lozowski, wing Mike Haley, back-row, Nathan Hughes, second row Charlie Ewels, and prop Kyle Sinckler.
Jones said building squad depth was vital if England, knocked out in the first round of last year’s edition on home soil, were to triumph at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
“History shows that when you’re preparing for a World Cup you need depth down to four and five positions,” the former Australia and Japan coach Jones explained.
He cited the example of New Zealand fly-half Stephen Donald, who kicked the winning points in the All Blacks to a 2011 final win over France following a late call-up into the squad.
“Stephen Donald was out whitebaiting (fishing) and kicked the winning goal in a World Cup final wearing a jersey that was too small.
“That’s the sort of depth you need.”
Meanwhile Bath lock Dave Attwood has also been recalled following injuries to first-choice second rows George Kruis and Maro Itoje.
Harlequins prop Joe Marler also returns from a self-imposed break that saw him miss the Australia series, while wing Jonny May is back in the squad after an injury-plagued year after Anthony Watson and Jack Nowell were sidelined.
England head to Portugal for a week-long training camp on Sunday before facing South Africa at Twickenham on 12 November, with games against Fiji, Argentina and Australia following on successive weekends..
England squad
Backs:
Mike Brown (Harlequins), Danny Care (Harlequins), Elliot Daly (Wasps), Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford (Bath),Alex Goode (Saracens), Mike Haley (Sale), Jonathan Joseph (Bath), Alex Lozowski (Saracens), Jonny May (Gloucester), Semesa Rokoduguni (Bath), Henry Slade (Exeter), Ben Te’o (Worcester), Marland Yarde (Harlequins), Ben Youngs (Leicester)
Forwards:
Dave Attwood (Bath), Dan Cole (Leicester), Charlie Ewels (Bath), Ellis Genge (Leicester), Jamie George (Saracens), Teimana Harrison (Northampton), Dylan Hartley (Northampton), Nathan Hughes (Wasps), Joe Launchbury (Wasps),Courtney Lawes (Northampton), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Ben Morgan (Gloucester), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins), Tommy Taylor (Wasps), Billy Vunipola (Saracens) ,Mako Vunipola (Saracens), Tom Wood (Northampton)
(C) AFP 2016
