9:41am Wednesday 8th July 2009
DANNY CIPRIANI’S turbulent England career endured a fresh twist yesterday when he was replaced in the elite player squad by Jonny Wilkinson.
Fit again after recovering from a dislocated kneecap, Wilkinson has been restored to the 32-man senior group as one of two fly-halves alongside Toby Flood.
With Cipriani on the outside, England will look to the 30-year-old to pull the strings during a challenging autumn series against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand.
The leading international points scorer of all time with 1099, Wilkinson won the last of his 70 caps in March 2008 with his troublesome knee the latest in 13 injuries suffered since landing the World Cupwinning drop goal in 2003.
His return ensures Cipriani must be content with a place in the second-string Saxons squad, where he spent the summer on Churchill Cup duty.
Newcastle Falcons scrum half Micky Young has also been named in the England Saxons squad for the 2009-10 season.
Having started the November internationals as England’s first-choice fly-half after making a rapid recovery from a serious ankle injury, he fell out of favour with manager Martin Johnson.
The 21-year-old finished the season on the Saxons bench at the Churchill Cup, effectively consigning him to sixth in the position’s pecking order.
Criticism of what is perceived to be his celebrity lifestyle, a training ground fight with Wasps team-mate Josh Lewsey and a reported bust-up with a member of England’s coaching staff during a pre-Six Nations training camp have seen him grab headlines for the wrong reasons.
A lack of popularity among his team-mates has also been highlighted by former England centre Will Greenwood.
The Lions placed him on their standby list for the summer tour to South Africa but Johnson was content to demote Cipriani to the Saxons in order to rediscover his priorities.
His replacement Wilkinson, who signed for Toulon from Newcastle Falcons m May, is one of only two French-based players included in either squad, the second being Brive’s Riki Flutey.
Andy Goode, James Haskell, Tom May, Jamie Noon, Tom Palmer and Steve Thompson have been omitted from the 64 despite featuring for England last season.
Opting against their inclusion in the EPS, Johnson appears to have also left all six out of the Saxons squad in order to increase the number of players available to him.
Johnson – now a year into his reign – and director of elite rugby Rob Andrew are confident they will be able to select the French-based contingent as and when required, even though they are not in the 64.
Last season Goode won seven caps despite not being included in either squad while Thompson also came from outside to feature on the tour to Argentina.
‘‘Our selections include players based in France and Rob Andrew and I have had extensive discussions with the French clubs, who have recruited English players and these have gone well,’’ said Johnson.
‘‘We are looking forward to continuing the positive working relationship with them, which worked so well last season.”
England senior elite player squad – Forwards: S Armitage (London Irish), S Borthwick (Saracens), G Chuter (Leicester), J Crane (Leicester), T Croft (Leicester), L Deacon (Leicester), N Easter (Harlequins), D Hartley (Northampton), B Kay (Leicester), L Mears (Bath), T Payne (Wasps), T Rees (Wasps), S Shaw (Wasps), A Sheridan (Sale), P Vickery (Wasps), J White (Leicester), D Wilson (Bath), J Worsley (Wasps).
Backs: D Armitage (London Irish), M Banahan (Bath), D Care (Harlequins), M Cueto (Sale), H Ellis (Leicester), T Flood (Leicester), R Flutey (Brive), D Hipkiss (Leicester), P Hodgson (London Irish), U Monye (Harlequins), O Morgan (Gloucester), M Tait (Sale), M Tindall (Gloucester), J Wilkinson (Toulon).
England Saxons squad – Forwards: R Blaze (Leicester), D Cole (Leicester), A Corbisiero (London Irish), N Kennedy (London Irish), C Lawes (Northampton), M Mullan(Worcester), T Mercey (Saracens), L Moody (Leicester), L Narraway (Gloucester), D Paice (London Irish), C Robshaw(Harlequins), W Skinner (Harlequins), G Skivington (Wasps), D Ward- Smith (Wasps), R Webber (Wasps), N Wood (Gloucester), B Woods (Leicester).
Backs: N Abendanon (Bath), B Barritt (Saracens), D Cipriani (Wasps), B Foden (Northampton), S Geraghty (Northampton), T Ojo (London Irish), S Myler, (Northampton), P Sackey (Wasps), J Simpson (Wasps), D Strettle (Harlequins), J Turner-Hall (Harlequins), S Vesty (Leicester), D Waldouck (Wasps), R Wigglesworth (Sale), M Young (Newcastle).
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