England have included James Haskell in a 25-man squad ahead of Saturday’s NatWest 6 Nations clash with Scotland at Murrayfield.
Haskell is available for the first time in the 2018 Championship after serving a four-week ban for a dangerous tackle incurred on club duty for Wasps.
Eddie Jones will cull two players from the 25 on Thursday morning when he names his starting XV, with Haskell hoping to make his first England appearance since last year’s Six Nations.
The squad features the same 10 backs involved in the 12-6 victory over Wales and they will all be in action again at Murrayfield unless Jones opts for a 6-2 split on the bench.
Nathan Hughes’ return to fitness after eight weeks out with knee ligament damage means he will start at number eight, the position previously filled by shoulder injury victim Sam Simmonds.
It appears that Haskell, Sam Underhill, George Kruis and Charlie Ewels are fighting it out for two forward berths on the bench.
England 25-man squad:
Backs: M Brown (Harlequins), J May (Leicester), J Nowell (Exeter), A Watson (Bath), B Te’o (Worcester), J Joseph (Bath), O Farrell (Saracens), G Ford (Leicester), D Care (Harlequins), R Wigglesworth (Saracens).
Forwards: D Cole (Leicester), J Marler (Harlequins), M Vunipola (Saracens), H Williams (Exeter), D Hartley (Northampton), J George (Saracens), C Ewels (Bath), G Kruis (Saracens), J Launchbury (Wasps), C Lawes (Northampton), M Itoje (Saracens), J Haskell (Wasps), C Robshaw (Harlequins), S Underhill (Bath), N Hughes (Wasps).
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