After three rounds of try-filled PREM Rugby action, attention shifts to the start of the 2026-27 Champions Cup.
It is also now less than a month until England’s November Nations Championship campaign begins with matches against Australia, Japan and New Zealand, before the inaugural finals weekend at Twickenham.
Steve Borthwick will name his first autumn training squad later this month and after a rocky 2026 that saw him register England’s worst Six Nations performance and a first-ever defeat by Italy, he may well be on the lookout for new blood, with less than a year to go until the World Cup.
Here, Daily Mail Sport’s Alex Bywater looks at 10 uncapped players who could make the cut to shake up England’s established order after impressing so far this season.
1. George Hendy
Age: 23, Position: Wing/full-back, Club: Northampton Saints
Hendy has been a regular PREM try scorer for a while now, crossing twice in last season’s final as Northampton lifted the title, and has three more already to begin this campaign.
Fast and elusive, the flame-haired flier has earned England A selection before – winning two caps in 2025 – but looks ready to make the next step.
George Hendy is a constant threat for free-flowing Northampton, and has three tries already this season
Borthwick has flitted between full-backs in recent years, with a rotating cast of George Furbank, Freddie Steward, Elliot Daly and Marcus Smith, and he could do with a nailed-on solution.
In addition to his individual abilities, Hendy would link up well with the raft of Northampton players already in England’s back line, such as Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell and Tommy Freeman.
Hendy missed his team’s hammering of Bath at the weekend with a hip injury but the problem isn’t thought to be serious and he should be back fit soon.
2. Nathan Jibulu
Age: 23, Position: Hooker, Club: Sale Sharks
England’s options at hooker look ripe for disruption.
Jamie George and Luke Cowan-Dickie have been wonderful servants and are still leading the way, but are 35 and 33 respectively, while Theo Dan hasn’t quite come through as expected.
Jibulu was player of the match in Sale’s wins over Saracens and Harlequins this season, and could be the answer to what is threatening to become a problem position.
Nicknamed ‘cement’ by his club coaches (because he’s as hard as), the Croydon-born former Harlequin is very good around the park and his set-piece throwing has improved.
He signed a long-term contract this summer keeping him in the North West until 2030, and has already begun to repay Sale’s faith.
Nicknamed ‘cement’ by his club coaches (because he’s as hard as), Nathan Jibulu is very good around the park and his set-piece throwing has improved
3. Jack Bracken
Age: 20, Position: Wing, Club: Saracens
Son of 2003 World Cup-winning scrum-half Kyran, Bracken’s brother Charlie, another No9, has already been part of a senior England squad and Jack could soon follow suit.
He impressed as Saracens beat Bristol at the weekend and provides an elusive running threat.
Bracken, who came through Saracens’ academy and has also represented development side Ampthill, is well-liked by his club coaches and looks one to watch, regardless of whether this autumn comes too soon.
He has represented England’s Under 18s and Under 20s, and scored his first PREM try of the season on Saturday in a comprehensive 30-7 win over Bristol.
Jack Bracken scored his first PREM try of the season on Saturday in a comprehensive 30-7 win over Bristol
4. Max Hicks
Age: 27, Position: Flanker, Club: Newcastle Red Bulls
The New Zealand-born flanker arrived in English rugby this summer after signing for Newcastle from French side Perpignan.
While not a youngster by any stretch, he qualifies for Borthwick’s side through his mother Liane, who is from Cornwall.
He’s tall, rangy and very athletic – a good link player and a dark horse. He too got his first try of the season at the weekend, crossing in Newcastle’s narrow defeat at Exeter.
England-qualified flanker Max Hicks (left) is tall, rangy and very athletic – a good link player and a dark horse
5. James Pater
Age: 19, Position: Full-back, Club: Northampton Saints
Pater was picked out by Daily Mail Sport as a young gun to watch at the start of the new PREM season and promptly scored a hat-trick in his team’s opener against Newcastle.
He has shown his talent for England Under 20s and has adjusted well to senior level for his club, even if playing in the league’s best team has aided that transition.
Pater is still growing into his body but his ball-playing talent is obvious. He only joined Saints three years ago after impressing at the Rosslyn Park Sevens, and is already one of their most exciting prospects on a seemingly endless production line.
Pater was picked out by Daily Mail Sport as a young gun to watch at the start of the new PREM season and he promptly scored a hat-trick in his team’s opener against Newcastle
6. Sione Va’enuku
Age: 23, Position: Centre, Club: Saracens
Like at hooker, England have question marks at centre. But Tongan Va’enuku, who started his career in the NRL with the Sydney Roosters, is a wildcard option to shake things up.
England-qualified through his mother Kate, Va’enuku has only played two PREM games after moving to Saracens from Championship Ampthill but has a nice blend of power, pace and handling ability.
He has gone well against Sale and Bristol, and Borthwick may look to get him involved to ensure he’s kept out of the hands of other countries.
Will Joseph has also been playing very well for Gloucester, but he does not make this list as he already has a cap to his name, against Australia back in 2022.
English-qualified Tongan Sione Va’enuku could be a wildcard option in the centres
7. Archie McParland
Age: 21, Position: Scrum-half, Club: Northampton Saints
Yes, another Northampton player – but perhaps the one most likely to make a big impact next month.
Alex Mitchell has been England’s first-choice scrum-half, but McParland has been rivalling him at club level for some time and may well now do so internationally.
His dynamic game is perfect for Saints. He has quick distribution and an eye for a gap.
McParland is yet to play a Test despite being in England squads, but that could all change very quickly after a fast start to this season.
Alex Mitchell has been England’s first-choice scrum-half, but Archie McParland (pictured) has been rivalling him at club level for some time and may well now do so internationally
8. Fitz Harding
Age: 27, Position: Flanker, Club: Bristol Bears
Harding has a problem in that England are stacked with back-row talent – the likes of Ben Earl, Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Ollie Chessum, Henry Pollock and Guy Pepper are all top operators, while there are plenty more lurking on the sidelines.
But if PREM form is the barometer by which international selection is earned, Harding must be putting himself in the frame for a call-up. The Bristol captain is a consistent league performer and a good leader too.
He also did what many can’t and stopped Northampton’s free-flowing, go-forward possession in round two.
Bristol captain Fitz Harding (left) managed to do the impossible in round two and stymie Northampton’s free-flowing attack
9. Ethan Burger
Age: 26, Position: Prop, Club: Exeter Chiefs
South African-born and raised, Burger rose from nowhere to be a regular for Exeter last season as they made the PREM final against the odds. He is eligible to represent England because his grandfather was born in Leicester.
Ross McMillan, Exeter’s forward coach, scouted Burger when he was playing for the University of Pretoria, where he was studying education, and the Chiefs have reaped the rewards.
He has a good combination of being a strong scrummager and also explosive around the park for a big man.
Exeter’s Ethan Burger has a good combination of being a strong scrummager and also explosive around the park for a big man
Orlando Bailey, who can play fly-half and inside centre, has quietly impressed since moving to Leicester Tigers at the start of last season
10. Orlando Bailey
Age: 25, Position: Fly-half/centre, Club: Leicester Tigers
His talent was recognised by former England coach Eddie Jones when he was a surprise Six Nations squad inclusion in 2022 while still at Bath. A hamstring injury put paid to him featuring in that championship.
Bailey, who can play fly-half and inside centre, has quietly impressed since moving to Leicester Tigers at the start of last season, as an instrumental figure in their rise back into the play-offs.
The 25-year-old won his first England A cap in February against an Ireland XV and his versatility along the back line is another boost for his chances.
