Sam Burgess has been included in England's 50-man World Cup training squad.
Bath's rugby league convert, who covers flank and centre, gets the nod, but there is no room for Toulon's Steffon Armitage and Clernont's Nick Abendanon, named 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 European Player of the Year respectively, because they aren't based in England.
Coach Stuart Lancaster has included four uncapped players in Luke Cowan-Dickie, Maro Itoje, Henry Slade and Elliot Daly. Other notable inclusions are Saracens wingers Chris Ashton and David Strettle, who have both shown good form in the English Premiership..
An England XV will play the Barbarians on 31 May, before England play Tests against France (home and away) and Ireland at Twickenham.
England squad – Chris Ashton, Brad Barritt, Mike Brown, Luther Burrell, Sam Burgess, Danny Care, Danny Cipriani, Elliot Daly, Lee Dickson, Kyle Eastmond, Owen Farrell, George Ford, Alex Goode, Jonathan Joseph, Jonny May, Stephen Myler, Jack Nowell, Henry Slade, David Strettle, Billy Twelvetrees, Anthony Watson, Richard Wigglesworth, Marland Yarde, Ben Youngs, Dave Attwood, Kieran Brookes, Calum Clark, Dane Cole, Alex Corbisiero, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Nick Easter, Dylan Hartley, James Haskell, Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes, Joe Launchbury, George Kruis, Matt Kvesic, Joe Marler, Ben Morgan, Matt Mullan, Geoff Parling, Chris Robshaw, Ed Slater, Mako Vunipola, Blly Vunipola, Rob Webber, David Wilson, Tom Wood, Tom Youngs.
Photo: Getty Images
