Luke Cowan-Dickie out of World Cup as Steve Borthwick names training squad

Luke Cowan-Dickie has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup through injury, while back rower Zach Mercer was a high-profile absentee from the 41-man official training squad named by England coach Steve Borthwick.

After working for several weeks without players from Premiership finalists Sale and Saracens, Borthwick has drafted in a host of players from the two teams for the next training camp starting on Sunday.

British & Irish Lions hooker Cowan-Dickie will not be among them, however, after it was decided he would not be able to recover from a shoulder injury in time for the tournament, that begins for England against Argentina on 9 September.

The Exeter forward has 41 caps but has not played any rugby since January due to ankle and shoulder issues.

Number 8 Mercer, who has been ineligible for England since leaving Bath for Montpellier in 2021 when he was named the Top 14 player of the year, was included in last month's preparation squad as he is due to join Gloucester next season, but has been dropped.

Fellow France-based flanker Jack Willis (above), was included in the wake of winning the Top 14 title with Toulouse.

There are five uncapped players in the squad - the Premiership's top tryscorer, Cadan Murley (Harlequins), Premiership Breakthrough Player of the Season, Tom Pearson (London Irish), hooker Theo Dan (Saracens), Gloucester prop Val Rapava-Ruskin, and number 8 Tom Willis, who finished the season with Bordeaux Begles.

Veteran scrum-half Danny Care is also retained.

"We’re excited to be able to bring a full training squad together for the first time and focus on the next stage of our World Cup preparations," said Borthwick.

"Our preparation camps over the last three weeks have allowed those players who didn't feature in