Steve Borthwick has been forced to make five changes to his England training squad that is preparing for the upcoming Guinness Six Nations after a bruising weekend of games for the Premiership clubs in Europe, both in terms of results and physically.

Bath scrum-half Ben Spencer is one of two number nines added to the England camp having been controversially left out of the original squad that was named by Borthwick last week.

The Bath captain started the first two Tests of the Autumn Nations Series but then failed to feature in the second two however has now earned a recall.

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Spencer comes back into the squad along with Sale Sharks’ Raffi Quirke with Leicester Tigers’ Jack van Poortvliet and Northampton Saints’ Alex Mitchell picking up injuries this weekend. Borthwick’s first-choice pick in the number nine jersey, and a serious British and Irish Lions contender, Mitchell will travel with the squad to Girona for the training camp to continue his rehabilitation with the playing group.

The selection means Spencer, along with all the England players in camp, will not be available for this weekend’s Premiership games, with Bath heading to Sale Sharks on Sunday in Round 11.

In the forwards, Gloucester lock Arthur Clark has also been brought in as cover for Northampton’s Alex Coles, while Saints hooker Curtis Langdon comes in for Saracens’ Jamie George and flanker Henry Pollack - who could just be the most exciting prospect in English rugby for the last decade - gets his chance with Harlequins number eight Alex Dombrandt dropping out.

Clark, still just 23, has risen to the fore in the last few years, professing from an England U20s Six Nations Grand Slam winner in 2021 to represent England A in the Autumn in the win against Australia A. The 6ft 7in lock is one of many young success stories at the Cherry and Whites in recent years having been recognised for his talent playing for Stow on the Wold RFC as a junior to join the Premiership club’s academy before establishing himself as a first-team regular in the last year. Borthwick was an interested spectator at Kingsholm last week as the Cherry and Whites dispatched the Scarlets 31-7 with Clark starting in the number five jersey alongside Freddie Thomas who has been called into the Welsh squad again after making his international debut against South Africa in the Autumn.

England kick off their Six Nations campaign on February 1 away in Ireland.