Emeka Ileoni: Steve Borthwick has been impressed by England’s potential in Leicester’s back row

Borthwick has revealed that Noah Calori, the 19-year-old Saracens winger who was called up to train with the squad after scoring five tries against Sale in his first Prem start, has been on his radar for some time.

“I think for over a year, I’ve been receiving footage of him and I started getting reports on him and his development plan,” Borthwick said.

“He is a player who I think has a point of difference.”

Borthwick said former England captain Owen Farrell – a notable absentee from the England training group – is focused on playing for Saracens following his summer return from Racing 92.

But Borthwick added that the issue of whether the 34-year-old had asked to remain out of the England squad was “not up for discussion at the moment”.

Farrell skipped the 2024 Six Nations to prioritize his and his family’s mental well-being before moving abroad and taking a year out of international competition.

Borthwick also explained that Farrell’s teammate Chris Robshaw, the former England captain, was due to visit the team as part of his filming with Strictly Come Dancing on Tuesday, only to be voted off the program over the weekend.

“We were all looking forward to having him at camp tomorrow, so we were all voting with our batch, and we couldn’t quite get past him!” Borthwick said.

“A lot of respect for him because he has developed new skills and put himself in uncomfortable situations.”

England’s autumn campaign begins against Australia on November 1, before matches against Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina on subsequent weekends.