England's extraordinary 42-37 defeat by the Wallabies in November was said to have Borthwick's side "battling to keep fans onside", according to BBC Sport's rugby union correspondent Chris Jones at the time.Van Poortvliet, who is among five Leicester players called up by Borthwick for the upcoming Six Nations, says the public perception of the team differs greatly from those within…

Gray, 30, is one of five second rows named by Townsend, alongside Grant Gilchrist, Scott Cummings, Marshall Sykes and Gregor Brown - but there is no place for Max Williamson as he returns to full fitness.There is also a recall for hooker Dave Cherry, who has not been in a squad since making an early exit from the 2023 World…

Forwards (21): Ryan Baird (Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Jack Boyle (Leinster), Thomas Clarkson (Leinster), Jack Conan (Leinster) Caelan Doris (Leinster, capt), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Iain Henderson (Ulster), Rob Herring (Ulster), Cormac Izuchukwu (Ulster), Ronan Kelleher (Leinster), Gus McCarthy (Leinster), Joe McCarthy (Leinster), Peter O'Mahony (Munster), Andrew Porter (Leinster), Cian Prendergast (Connacht), James Ryan (Leinster),…

"It's an absolute honour and privilege to be able to drive this amazing team to where we want to go," said Aldcroft, who will have Packer and Megan Jones as vice-captains."A massive part of being a captain is leading by example. When I speak, I really mean what I'm saying and I like to think about what I'm saying."But it's…