KEY POINTS:
LONDON - Former captain Lawrence Dallaglio was named in a 47-man England World Cup training squad on Saturday (NZ time) as coach Brian Ashton sought an injection of experience for the defence of the title.
Dallaglio, who will be 35 by the September/October tournament in France, was a key back row member of the World Cup-winning side in 2003 but won the last of his 77 caps as a replacement in the 2006 Six Nations.
Prop Kevin Yates, hooker Mark Regan and halfback Andy Gomarsall, well-travelled players who impressed despite two heavy defeats in the recent tour of South Africa, were included, as were youngsters Nick Abendanon and Danny Cipriani who played well in the England Saxons' Churchill Cup-winning team.
The squad includes 15 of the 2003 World Cup-winning squad, including seven who started the final.
They will travel to Portugal for a training camp followed by warm-up matches against France and Wales before Ashton cuts the squad to 30 on August 14.
England begin their World Cup defence against the United States on September 8 in Lens.
"We are defending champions but the rest of the world has probably written us off," Ashton told a news conference at Twickenham on Friday. "I can't think of two better motivations and I think we've got sufficient ability in that group to surprise one or two people."
The coach said the Portugal trip would be both a preparation and selection camp and that places were still very much up for grabs.
"It's important that we get off to the right start given the position we are in, which is not ideal by any stretch of the imagination, and those experienced players will be absolutely critical in those first few weeks of training," he said.
Dallaglio, who led Wasps to victory in the Heineken Cup final last month, will help in that regard but Ashton said it was not just his jaw-jutting leadership that earned the recall.
"Lawrence does bring that to the table but he played well at the end of last season in the big games and he's there on merit," he said.
Lock Danny Grewcock, who is suspended for the first two matches of the World Cup, was not included in the squad but Ashton said the door was still open depending on the outcome of an appeal against his six-week ban for punching.
Backs
Nick Abendanon, Olly Barkley, Mike Catt, Danny Cipriani, Mark Cueto, Andrew Farrell, Toby Flood, Shane Geraghty, Andrew Gomarsall, Dan Hipkiss, Charlie Hodgson, Josh Lewsey, Olly Morgan, Jamie Noon, Shaun Perry, Peter Richards, Jason Robinson, Paul Sackey, David Strettle, Mathew Tait, Mike Tindall, Fraser Waters, Jonny Wilkinson
Forwards
Steve Borthwick, George Chuter, Martin Corry, Lawrence Dallaglio, Louis Deacon, Nick Easter, Perry Freshwater, James Haskell, Andrew Hazell, Ben Kay, Magnus Lund, Lee Mears, Lewis Moody, Tom Palmer, Tom Rees, Mark Regan, Simon Shaw, Andrew Sheridan, Matt Stevens, Phil Vickery, Dan Ward-Smith, Julian White, Joe Worsley, Kevin Yates.
- REUTERS
