England World Cup Training Squad announced

[JackFlashJonny]

Headline news: No Simpson, No Ewers...Ashton back and Burgess in


Full England training squad: Chris Ashton (Saracens), Dave Attwood (Bath), Brad Barritt (Saracens), Kieran Brookes (Newcastle Falcons), Mike Brown (Harlequins), Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints), Sam Burgess (Bath), Danny Care (Harlequins), Danny Cipriani (Sale), Calum Clark (Northampton Saints), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Alex Corbisiero (Northampton Saints), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs), Elliot Daly (Wasps), Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints), Kyle Eastmond (Bath), Nick Easter (Harlequins), Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford (Bath), Alex Goode (Saracens), Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), James Haskell (Wasps), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Jonathan Joseph (Bath), Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), George Kruis (Saracens), Matt Kvesic (Gloucester), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Jonny May (Gloucester), Stephen Myler (Northampton Saints), Ben Morgan (Gloucester), Matt Mullan (Wasps), Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs), Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Ed Slater (Leicester Tigers), David Strettle (Saracens), Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester), Mako Vunipola (Saracens), Billy Vunipola (Saracens), Anthony Watson (Bath), Rob Webber (Bath), Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens), David Wilson (Bath), Tom Wood (Northampton Saints), Marland Yarde (Harlequins), Ben Youngs (Leicester), Tom Youngs (Leicester).

[RagingBull]

Slater back in.

[JackFlashJonny]

Pretty gutted for Simpson..Happy for Slater though hopefully will get a chance to impress..No Wade is disappointing but understandable..The centres are just too weak for me..Burrell wouldn't get a sniff of any other top nations teams maybe even further down..

Must say I think this world cup is beyond us..but will be backing us all the way

[G.K]

Link to full story: http://email.rfumail.com/re?l=D0Ijvawb0I5j3c17oIf

[baz1664]

No Kitchener??

[Skin_and_Muscle]

Also disappointed for Simpson.

The squad shows there is a lot of quality at Lancaster's disposal. It is such a shame that certain players have not been given a chance sooner because a 23 of:

Brown, Watson, Joseph, Slade/Myler, Strettle, Ford, Youngs, Vunipola, Kvesic, Wood, Lawes/Parling, Launchbury, Cole, Youngs, Marler

Hartley, Vunipola, Wilson, Parling/Lawes, Haskell/Robshaw, Simpson, Myler/Slade, Nowell

- could have really developed into an experienced team over the last couple of years that might have had a real chance at this summer's tournament.

I also feel for players like Itoje, Daly, and Cowan-Dickie. They're real talents and, had Lancaster's team showed a little more faith in committing to a project to develop a core squad like the one above over the last few years they'd have had more chance of being integrated into a narrower world cup squad. Instead, players like Myler and Slade (and, indeed, Cipriani and Ford to some extent) miss out in favour of Barritt and Farrell; like Kvesic in favour of Robshaw (not a bad player, but Kvesic has had no chance at all); or Simpson in favour of Wigglesworth.

[Doghashadhisday]

10 Saracens players suggests some bias from AF. Feel sorry for Charlie Hodgson as he has played well at 10 for them. No Wade but Strettle in

[Norfolk & Goode]

Well done the Tigers lads, and great to see Maro Itoje and Henry Slade included.

[InGuinnessVeritas]

Pretty gutted for Simpson..

Also disappointed for Simpson.

"Ben Foden, Joe Simpson and Tom Croft have not been included at this stage due to ongoing rehabilitation from injury but will hopefully come into consideration nearer the tournament." http://www.leicestertigers.com/news/22980.php

[baz1664]

Kitch who has been in outstanding form for the past two seasons, one of the most athletic and mobile locks in the country doesn't get in the squad but an over hyped centre come flanker who has played a handful of games gets in, burgess needs to earn his stripes before he should even get a sniff of a call up!!

[Coops]

burgess needs to earn his stripes before he should even get a sniff of a call up!!

The words "eye catching" and "Sam Burgess" do not seem comfortable together. He definitely needs to earn his place.

[Skin_and_Muscle]

Also disappointed for Simpson.

"Ben Foden, Joe Simpson and Tom Croft have not been included at this stage due to ongoing rehabilitation from injury but will hopefully come into consideration nearer the tournament." http://www.leicestertigers.com/news/22980.php

Cheers for this IGV.

In that case, I'm disappointed for Simpson that he's injured.

[fleabane]

Hugely disappointed for Kitchener - in the 6N squad, but now out altogether.

[Jay C]

Kitch who has been in outstanding form for the past two seasons, one of the most athletic and mobile locks in the country doesn't get in the squad but an over hyped centre come flanker who has played a handful of games gets in, burgess needs to earn his stripes before he should even get a sniff of a call up!!

Surely this is more a reflection of the depth of talent England have at lock, compared to at centre ?

Kitch is playing brilliantly, but he is still (arguably) Tigers third choice (english) lock and the other two are both in the squad - with Lawes & Launchbury ahead of them as well.

At centre, Daly & Joseph are exciting options at 13, but 12 is wide open at this stage...

[Noddy555]

One big omission by Lancaster i.e. Graham Kitchener. What does the lad have to do to get selected? He is already playing out of his skin and his form is better than at least 2 of the other locks already selected. Sorry Kitch obviously you went to the wrong school. As soon as we get a professional coach in who has played the game at the top level, the better for everybody except the stuffed shirts.