By PAUL REES

Oscar Beard missed the call he dared not expect. The Harlequins centre had shut himself in his room at home at the time England’s head coach Steve Borthwick was calling players to tell them they were in his squad for the Six Nations.
“His first call ended as I went to pick the phone up,” said Beard, who three years ago was in the England U20 squad along with Fin Smith, Tom Roebuck and Tommy Freeman, who are also in the 36. “I had locked myself in my room telling my mother not come come in and was absolutely bricking it.
“When he called again and told me, I could not believe i...