LONDON Jan 11 (Reuters) – Mike Tindall, Nick Easter
and Mark Cueto were omitted from England’s 32-man elite player
squad (EPS) on Wednesday as caretaker coach Stuart Lancaster
included a clutch of new faces to set about the defence of the
Six Nations championsip.
Centre Tindall was dropped from the squad as punishment for
off-field misdemeanours during last year’s rugby World Cup
before being re-instated on appeal.
After the recent international retirements of Jonny
Wilkinson, Lewis Moody and Steve Thompson, his omission
represents the final severing of any link with the 2003 World
Cup-winning team.
Among the uncapped players included were Owen Farrell, son
of former international and current assistant coach Andy, Calum
Clark, Joe Marler, Charlie Sharples, Brad Barritt, Lee Dickson,
Jordan Turner-Hall and Ben Morgan, the Scarlets number eight who
turned down Wales.
Several of the new faces are expected to start England’s
first match of the championship away to Scotland on Feb. 4.
which flyhalf Toby Flood, the squad’s most-capped player with
46, could miss through injury.
Flankers Tom Wood and Chris Robshaw, who has one cap, are
widely considered to be vying for the captaincy but Lancaster
said he would make that decision nearer the first match.
(Editing by Ed Osmond; to query or comment on this story email
sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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