Danny Cipriani has been called up to attend England’s second pre-World Cup training camp.
Gloucester fly-half Cipriani was named Premiership and Rugby Players’ Association player of the year last season following his move from Wasps.
But England coach Eddie Jones has only included Cipriani, 31, in two squads since he took charge in 2016, and the playmaker has won just two caps – both against South Africa last June.
Eddie Jones has named a 31-man squad to attend a second training camp at the Lensbury 🌹 More: https://t.co/HuCb4RYIbB pic.twitter.com/rbiwTAlEQo — England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) June 28, 2019
“Next week we will add some players and be looking to improve our physical conditioning, ability to understand how we want to play the game and start to increase the pressure at training,” Jones said after naming a 31-man training camp.
“We have a couple of players going back to their clubs as we feel it is in their best interests in terms of the World Cup to do that, and we will consider their participation in the squad further down the track.
“It has been a really positive week, we have worked on our fundamentals of the game, a little bit of physical conditioning and I am really pleased with the attitude of the players.
“They have all come back from their leave in excellent condition and the best I have seen in the time I have been with England.
Piers Francis (Northampton), Willi Heinz (Gloucester), Courtney Lawes (Northampton) and Ollie Thorley (Gloucester) have also been added to the five-day camp in London.
Heinz, 32, has been preferred to England’s most-capped scrum-half Danny Care, who was dropped from the first training camp last week.
Kyle Sinckler and Marcus Smith will return to Harlequins, while Jack Nowell (Exeter) will join Saracens pair George Kruis and Mako Vunipola (Saracens) in camp to continue their rehabilitation.
Jones will name England’s official Rugby World Cup training squad on July 4.
Meanwhile, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) has said it is “comfortable” with Jones performing a consultancy role for Japanese club Suntory Sungoliath.
According to the RFU, the Australian has held the position for more than 20 years, including the duration of his three-and-a-half-year tenure with England.
“Eddie has had a consultancy agreement with Suntory for over 20 years and we have been aware and comfortable with that since he joined the RFU,” said an RFU spokesman.
“He provides consultancy in his holidays. That hasn’t changed and there are no plans to change the terms of that agreement in the future.”
Full training camp: Forwards – Dan Cole (Leicester), Tom Curry (Sale), Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins), Tom Dunn (Bath), Charlie Ewels (Bath), Ellis Genge (Leicester), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), Courtney Lawes (Northampton), Lewis Ludlam (Northampton), Val Rapava Ruskin (Gloucester), Nick Schonert (Worcester), Brad Shields (Wasps), Jack Singleton (Worcester), Sam Underhill (Bath), Mark Wilson (Newcastle).
Backs – Mike Brown (Harlequins), Danny Cipriani (Gloucester), Joe Cokanasiga (Bath), Elliot Daly (Wasps), George Ford (Leicester), Piers Francis (Northampton), Willi Heinz (Gloucester), Jonathan Joseph (Bath), Jonny May (Leicester), Ruaridh McConnochie (Bath), Dan Robson (Wasps), Ben Te’o (Worcester), Ollie Thorley (Gloucester), Manu Tuilagi (Leicester), Anthony Watson (Bath), Ben Youngs (Leicester).
In for medical treatment – George Kruis (Saracens), Jack Nowell (Exeter), Mako Vunipola (Saracens).
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