Harlequins secured a notable victory over London rivals in a recent Premiership match, with Marcus Smith reaching a personal milestone by marking his 200th game for the club. Smith opened the scoring early, making a significant impact with a try in the opening minutes and demonstrating his skill by successfully stripping possession from opponent Malins in the in-goal area. The home side’s scoring was capped off by Porter, contributing to their win.
In related news, England’s head coach Steve Borthwick named a 36-man training squad, which convened at Pennyhill Park in Bagshot on October 25 and will continue training through October 27. The squad is preparing for a series of international fixtures, including a home game against Australia at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham on November 8, followed by matches against Japan and New Zealand. The Nations Championship schedule will conclude with a play-off.
Among the players called up to the squad is Archie McParland of Northampton Saints, returning after recovering from illness. He joins scrum-halves Jack van Poortvliet of Leicester Tigers and Alex Mitchell of Northampton Saints amid a competitive selection in the halfback positions. Kepuuli Tuipulotu, who featured in three England A matches last season, is also included and will work under the guidance of experienced hookers Jamie George (Saracens) and Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks).
Tom Pearson, a Northampton Saints player who earned his first full cap during a World Cup warm-up match in 2023 and recently made his first Premiership appearance of the season despite Saints’ 28-7 defeat to Leicester Tigers, has been named in the squad. The group includes versatile backs Joe Marchant (Sale Sharks) and Will Joseph (Gloucester Rugby), both able to cover centre and wing positions. They will be supported by midfield options Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints), Max Ojomoh (Bath Rugby), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), and Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints), alongside the recovering centre Atkinson.
The forward pack features a mix of established internationals and emerging talent, including Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers), Arthur Clark (Gloucester Rugby), and Alex Coles (Northampton Saints). Other forwards named are Ben Curry, Tom Curry, and Ashor Opoku-Fordjour from Sale Sharks; Ben Earl (Saracens); Greg Fisiau (Exeter Chiefs); Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears); Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers); Maro Itoje and George Martin (both Saracens); Emmanuel Iygoun (Northampton Saints); Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints); Will Stuart and Kepuuli Tuipulotu from Bath Rugby.
The squad is expected to finalize its preparation ahead of the upcoming international fixtures, with players competing for places in the match-day lineup as England aims to build momentum ahead of the Nations Championship play-off.