logo
Rugby-Feyi-Waboso back as England name 14 uncapped players in training squad

Rugby-Feyi-Waboso back as England name 14 uncapped players in training squad

The Star20-05-2025

FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Autumn International - England v New Zealand - Allianz Stadium Twickenham, London, Britain - November 2, 2024 England's Immanuel Feyi-Waboso scores their first try Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs/File Photo
(Reuters) -England have named wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso in a 33-player training squad ahead of a July tour of the Americas as coach Steve Borthwick selected 14 uncapped players in the absence of his British & Irish Lions tourists.
Borthwick's side will travel to Argentina and the United States, but before then face a France XV at Twickenham on June 21.
The squad is without players from Bath and Northampton, who are involved in European club rugby finals this weekend.
Feyi-Waboso had been out since December with a shoulder injury, but will be given a chance to audition for the July tour.
The uncapped Bristol Bears pair of Joe Batley and Gabriel Oghre have been named alongside Exeter Chiefs forward Richard Capstick, and four players from Gloucester, Arthur Clark, Charlie Atkinson, Seb Atkinson and Afolabi Fasogbon.
Oscar Beard, Luke Northmore and Jack Kenningham from Harlequins get the nod and Borthwick has rewarded Leicester Tigers' Emeka Ilione for his impressive recent form.
Saracens wing Tobias Elliott and the Sale Sharks duo of Rekeiti Ma'asi-White and Joe Carpenter are also included.
There are more established players in the form of loose forwards Ben Curry and Alex Dombrandt, and hooker Jamie George, who narrowly missed out on touring Australia with the Lions.
Flyhalf George Ford is another unlucky not to be heading Down Under, while backs Henry Slade, Freddie Steward and Jack van Poortvliet are also selected.
England's 33-player training squad:
Forwards:
Joe Batley (Bristol Bears)
Fin Baxter (Harlequins)
Richard Capstick (Exeter Chiefs)
Arthur Clark (Gloucester Rugby)
Ben Curry (Sale Sharks)
Theo Dan (Saracens),
Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)
Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester Rugby)
Jamie George (Saracens)
Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers)
Emeka Ilione (Leicester Tigers)
Nick Isiekwe (Saracens)
Jack Kenningham (Harlequins)
Gabriel Oghre (Bristol Bears)
Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks)
Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks)
Tom Willis (Saracens)
Backs:
Charlie Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby)
Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby)
Oscar Beard (Harlequins)
Joe Carpenter (Sale Sharks)
Tobias Elliott (Saracens)
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)
George Ford (Sale Sharks)
Rekeiti Ma'asi-White (Sale Sharks)
Cadan Murley (Harlequins)
Luke Northmore (Harlequins)
Raffi Quirke (Sale Sharks)
Harry Randall (Bristol Bears)
Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)
Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers)
(Reporting by Nick SaidEditing by Christian Radnedge)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Florian Wirtz joins Liverpool in club-record £116m deal
Florian Wirtz joins Liverpool in club-record £116m deal

The Sun

time31 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Florian Wirtz joins Liverpool in club-record £116m deal

THE golden boy of German football is set to become the new prince of the Premier League as Florian Wirtz prepares to join Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for a club-record fee. Fresh from winning a 20th English top-flight title, Arne Slot's Reds have broken the bank to land a rising star already labelled as one of the world's best by former Reds midfielder and Wirtz's former coach Xabi Alonso. British media reported on Friday that the Premier League champions had agreed a club-record deal worth up to £116 million ($157 million) to secure the services of the attacking midfielder. Liverpool can now agree personal terms with a player coveted by a number of top European clubs. Wirtz's abundant potential as a teenager sparked a row between his hometown club Cologne and Leverkusen five years ago when Leverkusen, who are backed by pharmaceutical giants Bayer, swooped to sign him at 17. Cologne argued that a gentleman's agreement not to poach youth team players had been violated, but Leverkusen said Wirtz was a first-team signing and within months he had made his Bundesliga debut. His rise was interrupted by a cruciate knee ligament injury in March 2022 that forced him to miss the next 10 months. By the time he returned, Alonso had been installed as Leverkusen boss and together they would spearhead the club's greatest days. Leverkusen ended Bayern Munich's grip on the Bundesliga in stunning fashion, romping to the title and the German Cup without losing a single match in the 2023/24 season. Wirtz netted his first career hat-trick on the day the title was sealed against Werder Bremen, on his way to being crowned Bundesliga player of the year. 'Flo is one of the top players in the world, he's world class,' said Alonso, who compared his protege to Lionel Messi in terms of his understanding of the game. 'Why is Messi so good? Because he knows how and when to play simple passes. Messi says: 'You're in a better position? Here, there you have the ball',' said Alonso, a hero of Liverpool's 2005 Champions League triumph. 'It's not always about making the most brilliant move, but the best and smartest. Florian can do that. That's why he's so good.' 'The full package' Both star player and coach committed to staying with the Leverkusen project for another 12 months, but defeat in the Europa League final to Atalanta to round off the 2023/24 campaign was a sign of things to come. Bayern restored their grip on the German game last season but could not convince Wirtz to follow the lead of many others in joining from their Bundesliga rivals. Instead, he made it clear his preference was a move to the Premier League champions and the chance to add his name to Liverpool's cast of legends. 'A huge talent, huge future in front of him, so Liverpool is the place for him,' said the club's former captain Steven Gerrard. Despite 57 goals and 65 assists in 197 games for Leverkusen, Wirtz will begin life at Anfield in the shadow of Mohamed Salah. But the Reds are banking on Wirtz's creativity to help maintain the 32-year-old's prolific goalscoring numbers and ease the burden of carrying the Liverpool attack. The club's previous record signing, £85 million recruit Darwin Nunez, has failed to deliver and could be sold to help recoup some of their major outlay on new faces. Liverpool will hope Wirtz can handle the pressure of his price tag and the physicality of the Premier League to ensure there is no second season slump under Slot. Former Germany head coach Hansi Flick is in no doubt about what the midfielder has to offer. 'He's simply an outstanding technician, loves to play, is very creative, has a good shot, runs hard and is quick,' he said. 'He's the full package.'

Liverpool bank on ‘world-class' Wirtz after record deal
Liverpool bank on ‘world-class' Wirtz after record deal

The Sun

time35 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Liverpool bank on ‘world-class' Wirtz after record deal

THE golden boy of German football is set to become the new prince of the Premier League as Florian Wirtz prepares to join Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for a club-record fee. Fresh from winning a 20th English top-flight title, Arne Slot's Reds have broken the bank to land a rising star already labelled as one of the world's best by former Reds midfielder and Wirtz's former coach Xabi Alonso. British media reported on Friday that the Premier League champions had agreed a club-record deal worth up to £116 million ($157 million) to secure the services of the attacking midfielder. Liverpool can now agree personal terms with a player coveted by a number of top European clubs. Wirtz's abundant potential as a teenager sparked a row between his hometown club Cologne and Leverkusen five years ago when Leverkusen, who are backed by pharmaceutical giants Bayer, swooped to sign him at 17. Cologne argued that a gentleman's agreement not to poach youth team players had been violated, but Leverkusen said Wirtz was a first-team signing and within months he had made his Bundesliga debut. His rise was interrupted by a cruciate knee ligament injury in March 2022 that forced him to miss the next 10 months. By the time he returned, Alonso had been installed as Leverkusen boss and together they would spearhead the club's greatest days. Leverkusen ended Bayern Munich's grip on the Bundesliga in stunning fashion, romping to the title and the German Cup without losing a single match in the 2023/24 season. Wirtz netted his first career hat-trick on the day the title was sealed against Werder Bremen, on his way to being crowned Bundesliga player of the year. 'Flo is one of the top players in the world, he's world class,' said Alonso, who compared his protege to Lionel Messi in terms of his understanding of the game. 'Why is Messi so good? Because he knows how and when to play simple passes. Messi says: 'You're in a better position? Here, there you have the ball',' said Alonso, a hero of Liverpool's 2005 Champions League triumph. 'It's not always about making the most brilliant move, but the best and smartest. Florian can do that. That's why he's so good.' 'The full package' Both star player and coach committed to staying with the Leverkusen project for another 12 months, but defeat in the Europa League final to Atalanta to round off the 2023/24 campaign was a sign of things to come. Bayern restored their grip on the German game last season but could not convince Wirtz to follow the lead of many others in joining from their Bundesliga rivals. Instead, he made it clear his preference was a move to the Premier League champions and the chance to add his name to Liverpool's cast of legends. 'A huge talent, huge future in front of him, so Liverpool is the place for him,' said the club's former captain Steven Gerrard. Despite 57 goals and 65 assists in 197 games for Leverkusen, Wirtz will begin life at Anfield in the shadow of Mohamed Salah. But the Reds are banking on Wirtz's creativity to help maintain the 32-year-old's prolific goalscoring numbers and ease the burden of carrying the Liverpool attack. The club's previous record signing, £85 million recruit Darwin Nunez, has failed to deliver and could be sold to help recoup some of their major outlay on new faces. Liverpool will hope Wirtz can handle the pressure of his price tag and the physicality of the Premier League to ensure there is no second season slump under Slot. Former Germany head coach Hansi Flick is in no doubt about what the midfielder has to offer. 'He's simply an outstanding technician, loves to play, is very creative, has a good shot, runs hard and is quick,' he said. 'He's the full package.'

Soccer-Liverpool agree 136.3 million euros fee to sign Leverkusen's Wirtz, reports say
Soccer-Liverpool agree 136.3 million euros fee to sign Leverkusen's Wirtz, reports say

The Star

time3 hours ago

  • The Star

Soccer-Liverpool agree 136.3 million euros fee to sign Leverkusen's Wirtz, reports say

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Holstein Kiel v Bayer Leverkusen - Holstein-Stadion, Kiel, Germany - February 22, 2025 Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo (Reuters) -Premier League champions Liverpool have agreed a fee of 136.3 million euros ($156.75 million) to sign Germany's attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, British media reported on Friday. The Athletic reported that Wirtz is expected to sign a five-year contract, with the fee comprised of a 117.5 million euros upfront amount and a further 18.8 million in add-ons. Reuters has contacted Leverkusen for comment. The fee would make Wirtz Liverpool's most-expensive signing ever ahead of Netherlands centre back and captain Virgil van Dijk, who joined for 75 million pounds in 2017. With two years left on his Leverkusen contract, Wirtz was also the subject of interest from German champions Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. The German international bagged 16 goals and recorded 15 assists in 45 appearances for Leverkusen last season as they finished second to Bayern. Wirtz would become Liverpool's second addition of the transfer window after they signed Dutch right back Jeremie Frimpong, who he was teammates with at Leverkusen. ($1 = 0.8696 euros) (Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store