England roll out their elite squad
December 7, 2001

Henry Paul, Gloucester's uncapped rugby league convert, finds himself among England's elite squad of 60 players .

The group, made up of 33 senior players and 27 promising young prospects, also features Lawrence Dallaglio who is champing at the bit to get back into action after a long absence through injury.

Rugby Football Union performance director Chris Spice said it had been selected "with one eye on the present, and one on the future". The squad will be reviewed next July.

Clive Woodward's senior squad contains no real surprises, although Wasps lock Simon Shaw, who played in the Six Nations Grand Slam defeat against Ireland seven weeks ago, misses out.

Dallaglio, currently recuperating from major knee surgery, Iain Balshaw, Matt Dawson, Phil Greening, Martin Corry and Josh Lewsey all make Woodward's contingent.

Bath's Balshaw and Wasps' hooker Phil Greening were high-profile casualties following the Ireland setback, while Dawson, Corry and Lewsey have all encountered varying injury problems.

Of the development squad, Newcastle's Dave Walder can consider himself unfortunate to miss out on senior recognition, while injury-hit centres Leon Lloyd and Ben Johnston are both handed chances to re-establish themselves.

South Africa-born Wasps centre Stuart Abbott is another inclusion, together with London Irish flanker Declan Danaher and Sale's exciting new wing Mark Cueto.

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