London Irish starlets Henry Arundell and Will Joseph offered hope of England debut during their tour of Australia

Eddie Jones has not ruled out handing England’s first caps to London Irish duo Henry Arundell and Will Joseph during their summer tour of Australia, despite labeling them both as “apprentices”.

Arundell and Joseph, both 19, are among eight uncapped players in the 36-man squad but are the only two labeled as apprentices. It’s a device Jones used regularly during his seven years as England manager, including for young players like Marcus Smith.

The pair are not expected to be considered for selection in all three Tests, but Jones will not rule them out completely.

Arundell was ruled out of Sunday’s 52-21 defeat by a 14-man Barbarians side at Twickenham due to a muscle strain, while Joseph did not make the matchday squad.

“We want to take it easy on these guys,” Jones said. “We want to give them a great learning experience on tour. If at any point during the tour one of these guys says ‘you have to pick me,’ we’ll definitely give it serious consideration.”

Jones would consider Arundell as a full-back or winger and said Joseph, the younger brother of England center Jonathan, has been one of the standout players in training, although he is yet to start a Premiership match for the Irish.