Eddie Jones does not want any of England’s two-time World Cup participants to take a free ride to a third one in 2023 – they have to prove the desire to do everything it takes to succeed in France in two years’ time.

“My experience tells me that some players can want to go to the World Cup, but they don’t really have the will to prepare to win the World Cup,” the head coach said as he left four stalwarts of his reign – George Ford, Jamie George, Billy and Mako Vunipola – out of the squad for the autumn internationals (George was later called up as injury replacement for Luke Cowan-Dickie).

“We could have the most experienced side in the world at the World Cup, but whether they’ve got that will to go the extra 10 per cent and find that discretionary effort – that’s something I’m trying to find out.”

Jones is in his second World Cup cycle with England, and he left the pruning of the likes of Dylan Hartley, Ben Te’o, Chris Robshaw, Mike Brown and Danny Care to the last 12 months before the tournament in Japan in 2019, which ended in defeat by South Africa in the final. He also has World Cup history with Australia in 2003, South Africa in 2007 and Japan in 2015.

England squad for 2021 Autumn Nations Series

Forwards:

• Jamie Blamire (Newcastle Falcons, 2 caps)
• Callum Chick (Newcastle Falcons, 2 caps)
• Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 33 caps)
• Trevor Davison (Newcastle Falcons, 1 cap)
• Nic Dolly (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)
• Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 1 cap)
• Harry Elrington (Gloucester Rugby, uncapped)
• Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby, 23 caps)
• Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers, 30 caps)
• Jonny Hill (Exeter Chiefs, 9 caps)
• Maro Itoje (Saracens, 48 caps)
• Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, 87 caps)
• Lewis Ludlam (Northampton Saints, 10 caps)
• Joe Marler (Harlequins, 72 caps)
• George Martin (Leicester Tigers, 1 cap)
• Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs, 7 caps)
• Kyle Sinckler (Bristol Bears, 44 caps)
• Jack Singleton (Gloucester Rugby, 3 caps)
• Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 12 caps)
• Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 24 caps)

Backs:

• Mark Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby, uncapped)
• Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
• George Furbank (Northampton Saints, 4 caps)
• Max Malins (Saracens, 8 caps)
• Joe Marchant (Harlequins, uncapped)
• Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby, 66 caps)
• Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
• Raffi Quirke (Sale Sharks, uncapped)
• Adam Radwan (Newcastle Falcons, 1 cap)
• Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 40 caps)
• Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 2 caps)
• Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 2 caps)
• Manu Tuilagi (Sale Sharks, 43 caps)
• Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 109 caps)

Injury latest

19 Oct: Luke Cowan-Dickie was forced to withdraw from the squad after picking up a “significant ankle injury” in Exeter’s win over Wasps. He was replaced by Saracens’ Jamie George.

19 Oct: Harlequins’ versatile back Joe Marchant replaced Bath wing Anthony Watson who suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in Bath’s defeat to Saracens.

31 Oct: Bristol Bears scrum-half Harry Randall withdraws from the squad with a hip flexor injury. Harlequins’ wing Louis Lynagh and Northampton Saints’ No 9 Alex Mitchell replace him.

7 Nov: Louis Lynagh cut from squad following Tonga match.

15 Nov: Owen Farrell and Jamie George withdraw from the squad after picking up injuries in the 32-15 win over Australia. Gloucester’s Harry Elrington and Jack Singleton are called up.

So are the omitted quartet – who have 264 England caps between them, including involvement in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups – out for good now, or are they just being given a hurry-up?

Fly-half is a pivotal, almost spiritual position, and this feels like Marcus Smith’s time, despite Ford’s good form for Leicester, with captain Owen Farrell and utility pick George Furbank the other No 10s in a 34-man squad to face Tonga, Australia and South Africa at Twickenham in November.

But the idea of George, the 30-year-old Saracens hooker, being a worse bet in the long term than the recently capped Jamie Blamire of Newcastle and the bolt from the blue, Leicester’s Nic Dolly, is difficult to comprehend.

Jones was at Bath to see Saracens’ astonishing 71-17 rout of a home team in which three forwards – Charlie Ewels, Sam Underhill and Will Stuart – made this England cut, whereas five of Sarries’ dominant pack – the Vunipolas plus Nick Isiekwe and Ben Earl – did not. We know Saracens are desperate to restore their Premiership reputation. Has Jones detected a desire from some of these players to make their club a priority?

England’s autumn fixtures

• England vs Tonga, 3.15pm on Sat 6 Nov
• England vs Australia, 5.30pm on Sat 13 Nov
• England vs South Africa, 3.15pm on Sat 20 Nov

“I think Gareth Southgate made a very relevant comment that every time a head coach in England makes a selection it is like you have committed a crime and it is difficult leaving out those senior players,” said Jones.

“They have been loyal and done well for you – but the job of the head coach is to make a judgement and the judgement is that we need to move on to a World Cup selection process now. Those guys can come back into it. At the moment, I feel they need to regenerate and rejuvenate.”

Among the new or recent bolters are the scrum-halves Alex Mitchell and Raffi Quirke, the flying wing Adam Radwan, and the No 8s Alex Dombrandt and Callum Chick. And, yet, from Jonny May and Henry Slade to Joe Marler and Kyle Sinckler, there is the potential for a very experienced team to take on the Wallabies and Springboks in the high-profile encounters.

On the 22-year-old Smith, whose spectacular rise with Harlequins was briefly becalmed at Sale, Jones said: “I think the role of the 10 is to be the bus driver and the conductor. He’s got to create a route for the team, a place for the team to go and then be able to get the team to play to that beat. First of all, he’s got to get in the side.”