Hooker will not be fit enough to play in September tournamentMercer and Mitchell surprise absentees from training squad
Luke Cowan-Dickie has been ruled out of England’s World Cup campaign by a shoulder injury, dealing a significant blow to Steve Borthwick. Cowan-Dickie has been left out of the head coach’s 41-man training squad, with England admitting defeat over the hooker’s fitness, while Zach Mercer and Alex Mitchell are also surprise absentees.
In Cowan-Dickie’s place there is a call-up for the uncapped Saracens hooker Theo Dan, while Tom Willis joins brother Jack in the squad and the veteran scrum-half Danny Care is preferred to Mitchell. Borthwick does not name his 33-man World Cup squad until 7 August but this selection is the first he has made this summer when Premiership finalists have been available and gives several clues as to his plans for the tournament in France.
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