Stuart Lancaster names Luke Narraway as England captain for match against Barbarians – Rugby news
Following Rugby Football Union (RFU) announcement of the 24-man squad for their weekend clash against the Barbarians on May 23, Stuart Lancaster announced Luke Narraway as the captain of the side today, for their Sunday, May 29
clash at Twickenham.
RFU had earlier made it public that Stuart Lancaster, England Saxons head coach, was in charge of all the sides preparations for the match. RFU had also given a deadline of Wednesday, May 25, for the publication of the list of
players that would be part of the squad.
However, due to a number of injuries to some key players, the announcement of the 24-member squad was delayed. Lancaster clarified today that they would name the starting squad on the Friday, May 27.
Lancaster said, “We've got a couple of other injuries to assess and we'll have a look at some potential replacements. Another 24 hours will give us time to finalise the squad before we move to Pennyhill Park and train at Twickenham on Friday.”
Lancaster hinted at making some replacements in the 24-man squad if the injured players fail to recover in time. Providing the details of the replacement, he confirmed that he would pick the players from the England Under-20 squad.
Meanwhile, the England Saxons head coach has named the Gloucester Rugby’s number eight, Luke Narraway, as captain of the side. He further added that, the reason behind the delay in announcing the starting line-up that Narraway
would skipper was to give the injured players some time to recover.
Commenting on his decision to choose Narraway to lead the England side, Lancaster said, “Our preparations have gone well overall and we're pleased to announce that Luke Narraway will captain the side, which is a great reflection
of the form and leadership qualities he's demonstrated at Gloucester this season.”
RFU announced a relatively young squad that includes seven un-capped players with the team’s average age a little over 24 years. The Barbarians clash will provide the players with a chance to display their skills against the world’s
best to secure a position in both Martin Johnson’s World Cup squad and Lancaster’s Churchill Cup squad.
Furthermore, Rugby Footbal Union has confirmed that Northampton Saints scrumhalf Lee Dickson will miss the Sunday clash. Lee Dickson injured his shoulder last week during the Churchill Cup and will undergo shoulder surgery that
will keep him out of the game for a indefinite period.
The Barbarians will announce the starting xv for their Twickenham clash against England on Wednesday May 25. Barbarians’ squad is a multi-national outfit and will consist of players hailing from 12 different countries.
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