Former international wing Ugo Monye is shocked by the decision to leave Don Armand out of the England squad ahead of the end-of-year Tests.
Armand, who has been in impressive form for Exeter Chiefs in the early-season, wasn’t selected by Eddie Jones for November’s matches.
And that’s surprised Monye as he has been impressed by how the back-row forward has been performing in the Premiership and Europe.
“I’m not quite sure what more he could have done,” he told BT Sport. “He was outstanding in Montpellier (last week) with two tries and just needs to keep his head down and working hard, I guess that will be the message.”
England have selected 18-year-old Marcus Smith (Harlequins) and 20-year-old Zach Mercer (Bath Rugby) as apprentices in the group, with the duo labelled as being non-playing squad members. However, Monye feels they will have an opportunity to stake their claim for match action.
“They’re in the squad so they’ve got as good a chance as anyone else,” he said. “Last year we hadn’t heard of the word ‘finishers’ so now it’s ‘apprentice’, perhaps that’s his watch word for the autumn. Those guys will be thrilled to be in the squad.”
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