Umaga in Jones’ England training squad

Eddie Jones

Jacob Umaga, nephew of New Zealand rugby legend Tana Umaga, is one of 21 uncapped players named by Eddie Jones in a 34-man England squad for a training week. The 22-year-old England-born Wasps fly-half – whose father Mike was capped by Samoa – played for England Under-20s and has featured before in a senior England squad. He earned his first call-up in January 2020 ahead of the Six Nations and then in October for the climax of the northern hemisphere championship which had been halted by the coronavirus pandemic. Jones has brought in a swathe of untapped talent as he has lost 12 players to the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa. He is also unable to call on players from the four clubs – Exeter, Bristol, Sale and Harlequins – involved in the English Premiership play-offs. Jones has also opted to rest other regulars such as fly-half George Ford and wing Jonny May whilst scrum-half Ben Youngs, who ruled himself out of selection for the Lions tour due to family reasons is not picked either. Leicester prop Ellis Genge is the most experienced player in the squad with 28 caps. The players from those who lose in the semi-finals will become eligible for a clash with Scotland A on June 27. Jones said the uncapped players had been presented with a great opportunity to put themselves forward for selection when all the other senior players are available. “For this group it’s a chance to come into the England environment and really show what they can do,” Jones said in an England Rugby statement. “We expect them to be enthusiastic, full of energy and we want them to know there is no limit to their horizon. “There is a lot of talent in this squad but the challenge for them is to turn talent into performance. “We’re really looking forward to working with this group of young players and see where we can take them. “They have the opportunity to take on the world.” Jones will be able to call upon the players from the Premiership final for the two Tests in July – England host the United States at Twickenham on July 4 and then Canada on July 10. These tests replace England’s tour of North America which was abandoned because of the coronavirus pandemic.Squad: Forwards:Jamie Blamire, Callum Chick, Trevor Davison, Charlie Ewels, Ellis Genge, Joe Heyes, Paul Hill, Ted Hill, Lewis Ludlam, Lewis Ludlow, George Martin, Chunya Munga, Beno Obano, Miles Reid, Sean Robinson, Jack Singleton, Sam Underhill, Harry Wells, Tom Willis Backs: Josh Bassett, Joe Cokanasiga, Tom de Glanville, Fraser Dingwall, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Dan Kelly, Ollie Lawrence, Alex Mitchell, Max Ojomoh, Tom Parton, Adam Radwan, Dan Robson, Ben Spencer, Freddie Steward, Jacob Umaga. Wallaby O’Connor set to return for France Tests Wallabies playmaker James O’Connor is expected to be fit for next month’s Test series against France after a neck injury sidelined him from Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, Australia coach Dave Rennie said Thursday. O’Connor missed Queensland Reds match against Auckland Blues last weekend, with Rennie revealing the in-form fly-half needed rest after suffering pains in his neck. “He’s been getting stingers for the last four or five weeks and it came to a head (so) he missed last weekend,” Rennie told reporters on Queensland’s Gold Coast, where the Wallabies are setting up camp. “He’s going to miss this weekend (Reds v Hurricanes) but we anticipate him being all right (for the Tests).” Rennie said O’Connor, who recently signed a contract extension that will take him through to the 2023 World Cup, had been “outstanding” this year for the Reds after leading them to the Super Rugby AU title. While O’Connor’s place in the Test side is seemingly locked in, Rennie said there were still spots up for grabs as Super Rugby Trans-Tasman enters its final regular-season round. “We’ve probably got about 80 percent of the squad nailed and there’s a handful of performances that are going to be important this weekend to make our final decision,” he said. Rennie named an extended 40-man squad for the France series in March but indicated a willingness to look beyond that group to bolster the Wallabies’ playing stocks. He confirmed that options included lock Izack Rodda, returning from a short stint in France, and Reds hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa, who has signed for Montpellier next season. But Rennie was against the widespread selection of overseas-based stars, saying it was against the best interests of the game in Australia. “If we’ve got our best players here playing with the kids coming through it’s going to improve the quality of the clubs and our competition,” he said. “If we pick wholesale, like South Africa and Argentina do from Europe and Japan, players will leave in droves because they can earn three times the amount of money.” The three-Test series against France begins in Sydney on July 7.