England's Six Nations squad: The winners and losers

With the start of the 2022 Six Nations under two weeks away, we look at the winners and losers in the wake of Eddie Jones' 36-man England squad selection...

Off the back of a promising autumn, England head into the 2022 Six Nations looking to bounce back from a woeful 2021 campaign which saw them finish fifth for the second time in four years, above only Italy.

A first defeat to Scotland at Twickenham since 1983 was followed by defeats on the road in Wales and Ireland, as England equalled their worst-ever championship performances of 1987 and 2018.

November brought fresh introductions to the squad - eight uncapped players, plus a further 14 with fewer than10 caps - and with them came positive results via victories over Tonga, Australia and South Africa.

With England kicking off their Six Nations campaign away to Scotland on Saturday, February 5, Jones named his 36-man squad last Wednesday.

Approaching the Six Nations, there were perhaps 18 expected squad inclusions which need no prolonged discussion: Joe Marler, Ellis Genge, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes, Jonny Hill, Tom Curry, Ben Youngs, Marcus Smith, Henry Slade, Freddie Steward, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Jamie Blamire, Will Stuart, Raffi Quirke, Max Malins, Joe Marchant and Harry Randall.

There remained question marks over quite a few other players, due to a combination of fitness, form and the competitive nature of selection.

Mako Vunipola, Loosehead Prop

Go back even five months, and there was little to no talk of Saracens' highly-decorated loosehead prop Mako Vunipola being frozen out of the England picture.

The 30-year-old was competing on his third British and Irish Lions tour, featuring in all three Tests against South Africa, and had come into the tour