Henry Slade in action© Tom Dulat/Getty Images

On Wednesday, Stuart Lancaster will sit in front of the nation's press and read out the half century or so of names who will comprise England's World Cup training squad. The original figure mooted for the wider group was 45 but injuries and indecision mean it is likely to be a little higher. Here, in a Monday Maul special, we weigh up the exact make-up of who will be vying to make the training squad.

Props

This is perhaps the easiest area of the whole bunch for Stuart Lancaster has England boast perhaps the finest prop resources in world rugby. At loose-head you have two British & Irish Lions - Mako Vunipola and Alex Corbisiero - and the man who is currently first-choice No.1 Joe Marler. At tight-head Dan Cole and the newly-fit Davey Wilson are higher in the pecking order than Henry Thomas and Kieran Brookes but they have been in and around the England set-up for the past two seasons and could also be drafted in.

Hookers

Dylan Hartley© Tony Marshall/Getty Images

Dylan Hartley and Tom Youngs are light years ahead of the chasing pack and that will be an intriguing tussle for just who starts against Fiji on September 18. Lancaster is likely to take a third hooker in the final 31-man group and that spot could go to one of three players. The clear option is Bath's Rob Webber but his form has recently dropped - Bath's lineout disintegrated against Gloucester on Saturday - while on the flipside Jamie George has played consistently well for Saracens this term. And also on the radar is Exeter's Luke Cowan-Dickie who has endured an injury-plagued season but is back fit and the England coaching team are big fans of the young hooker. All five should make the training squad but just three will make the final cut.

Second-rows

Dave Attwood, Courtney Lawes, Geoff Parling and George Kruis have all done enough to warrant making the training squad having formed the England lineout for the November Tests and Six Nations but there is the intriguing added ingredient to the lock cocktail: those returning from injury. Joe Launchbury showed his immense talent from the bench in Round 21 when he made a substantial impact for Wasps against Leicester having spent much of the season sidelined through a neck injury. Ed Slater, who captained England against the Crusaders in the summer, has also recently returned from injury and he started at blindside against Northampton on Saturday, playing 53 minutes. And then there is the wildcard Maro Itoje. A man wise beyond his years, Itoje will be a fixture for the 2019 World Cup but this could come just too soon for him.

Back-row

Some places here are nailed down. Tom Wood, James Haskell, Chris Robshaw, Billy Vunipola and Ben Morgan will all make the training squad but there is an intriguing battle for the other spots. Steffon Armitage for all the huff, puff and bluster will miss out as Lancaster sticks to his guns over the 'exceptional circumstances' clause. Nick Easter could feature after Lancaster brought him back in from the cold for the recent Six Nations while Calum Clark and Matt Kvesic have been around the England set-up enough to feel confident of getting the nod. But Lancaster may add another bolter here - the uncapped Exeter flanker Dave Ewers.

Dave Ewers of Exeter Chiefs (c) makes a break during the European Rugby Challenge Cup match between Exeter Chiefs and Newcastle Falcons at Sandy Park© Dan Mullan/Getty Images

He has had a remarkable season and heading into Round 22 of the Premiership he was third on the tackle standings for the league (226), sixth on carries (200) and joint fourth on turnovers (17). He deserves to make the training squad and for his Exeter captain Dean Mumm, he should be in the final 31-man party. "Dave Ewers should be in the World Cup squad," Mumm told ESPN. "While people may argue the need for experience, you cannot ignore his form and the quantity and more importantly quality of the work he does on the field."

Scrum-half

This is a position that has fluctuated in the Lancaster era. Ben Youngs, Danny Care and Lee Dickson have each had spells as first-choice No.9 and all three should make the wider group. Though they have each started for England under Lancaster, Saracens' Richard Wigglesworth is the best box-kicker in the Premiership and could sneak into the third spot for the final 31-man group. Adding to the scrum-half dilemma is Wasps' Joe Simpson. He is currently out for between six to eight weeks with a leg injury picked up in Round 21 but he is the best broken field running English No.9 and would be a more than able impact option.

Fly-half

This is a two-horse race with George Ford currently ahead of Owen Farrell. There is an inevitability about injuries in rugby that one player's misfortune is usually another's gain and Ford took full advantage of his old U-20's team-mate to edge in front of him in the pecking order as things stand. Expect a third fly-half to be named in the training camp with Danny Cipriani currently ahead of Stephen Myler if the Six Nations selection calls are anything to go by. The versatility of Exeter's Henry Slade could see him gate-crash the final 31-man party despite not having yet played a Test match. He was brought into the squad during the Six Nations on a learning basis so he should make his full England appearance in the warm-up matches.

Centre

Sam Burgess looks on© Stu Forster/Getty Images

Tuilagi's absence sees Sam Burgess' star shine ever brighter and he will make the wider group. Though Bath have used him as a forward in recent matches, England prefer him as an option in the centres given his ball-carrying ability and work rate. "The more Sam plays, the better he'll be and that will happen at Bath," Jason Robinson told ESPN. "Just having him around the players, his humility, hunger and experience will be so good for the team. He'll be learning off them and vice versa. I wouldn't be too surprised to see him in the training squad. Being around the England players that environment does bring out the best in you, you do learn a lot and being in the camp will make a massive difference for him."

While Jonathan Joseph has outside centre sewn up, inside centre remains the problem position. Billy Twelvetrees, Farrell, Luther Burrell, Brad Barritt and Kyle Eastmond have all been tried there and it is the latter who ex-England international Tom May wants to see start alongside Joseph for England's opener against Fiji in what would be a Bath 10-12-13 axis. The bolters here are the aforementioned Slade and Wasps' Elliot Daly. Daly has been knocking on the door for a while and has been one of the form backs in the Premiership this season.

Back three

Alex Goode in action© David Rogers/Getty Images

There are still places up for grabs in the back three. Mike Brown is first-choice fullback and while Anthony Watson and Jack Nowell finished the Six Nations on the wings, an impressive showing from Jonny May in the warm-ups or even the exiled Chris Ashton could see another changing of the guard. Christian Wade's form this season should earn him another chance while Alex Goode will make the cut in the training squad and expect to see Marland Yarde also involved. Ben Foden could make a late charge having been sidelined since January with a knee injury.

It is the wing spots which will remain intriguing but World Cup-winner Robinson thinks Lancaster will stick rather than twist. "I think the way they're going to go with it will be Anthony Watson and Jack Nowell," Robinson said. "Watching Watson, he gets better with every game. Attacking-wise he has the X-factor and can create stuff.

"You've had Jonny May in there but Nowell seems to have got ahead of him in the pecking order. May isn't too far off, he was on fire against Edinburgh [in the Challenge Cup final], but Nowell has been playing across the back line which is a good thing and he's strong, he's got a good work-rate and it seems he will take the other wing spot. You've also got Yarde, Wade, Ashton and also [Matt] Banahan who have been playing really well. They're not too far off the mark but as it stands I expect to see Brown, Watson and Nowell starting in September."

Possible England World Cup training squad

Forwards: Alex Corbisiero, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, Davey Wilson, Joe Marler, Kieran Brookes, Henry Thomas, Dylan Hartley, Tom Youngs, Rob Webber, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Jamie George, Dave Attwood, Courtney Lawes, Geoff Parling, Joe Launchbury, George Kruis, Ed Slater, Tom Wood, James Haskell, Chris Robshaw, Billy Vunipola, Ben Morgan, Calum Clark, Matt Kvesic, Nick Easter, Dave Ewers. (27)

Backs: Ben Youngs, Danny Care, Richard Wigglesworth, Lee Dickson, Joe Simpson, Owen Farrell, George Ford, Danny Cipriani, Sam Burgess, Jonathan Joseph, Kyle Eastmond, Brad Barritt, Henry Slade, Luther Burrell, Elliot Daly, Billy Twelvetrees, Jonny May, Christian Wade, Alex Goode, Mike Brown, Jack Nowell, Anthony Watson, Marland Yarde, Chris Ashton. (24)