Seventeen of the current group were in attendance on Wednesday, with one player ill and the other, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, away from camp given he was taking the latest of his medical exams. The rest, having warmly greeted the assembled media and coaching staff on the way into the performance centre, set to work by warming up with a game of cricket. Journalists were unharmed, the far wall less so, particularly with a couple of thundering drives towards the opposite end from Harry Randall and Henry Slade. This part was soundtracked by MGMT’s “Kids”, rather fitting given the age profile of some of the players called up, including 22-year-old Fin Baxter.
England’s coaching staff were all present – Borthwick, assistant coaches Felix Jones (defence), Tom Harrison (scrum), Kevin Sinfield (skills) and Richard Wigglesworth (attack) – along with head of strength and conditioning Aled Walters, coaching advisor Andrew Strawbridge, team manager Richard Hill and a number of back-room staff, from fitness coaches to physios. Also monitoring the session, not dressed in training kit but in a suit, was leadership impact coach Simon Scott, a former marine who previously worked with Borthwick when he was in charge at Leicester Tigers.