SIX UNCAPPED IN JOHNSON SQUAD
Martin Johnson has named six uncapped players in his squad for England's two-Test tour of New Zealand.
Topsy Ojo, Danny Care, Jason Hobson, Dylan Hartley, David Paice and Nick Kennedy are all named in the 32-man squad to travel down under in June.
Gloucester duo Lesley Vainikolo and Iain Balshaw have both been left out of the squad after being selected in the Six Nations squad by previous coach Brian Ashton.
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There is also no place in the squad for Guinness Premiership top try-scorer Tom Varndell, who has to make do with a place in the Saxons squad, although Wasps winger Paul Sackey is named in the squad despite suffering a heavy knock in a Guinness Premiership tie with Leeds Carnegie on Sunday.
Sackey will undergo "intensive rehab" before undergoing a scan to determine whether he will be fit for a warm-up game with the Barbarians at Twickenham on June 2.
Bath second-row Steve Borthwick will captain the side in the absence of Phil Vickery and Lewis Moody.
Moody, along with Newcastle fly-half Jonny Wilkinson and Tigers lock Louis Deacon were not available for selection because of injury.
Wilkinson is to undergo shoulder surgery shortly to repair a cartilage tear, while Moody is still recovering from the Achilles injury sustained in the opening match of the Six Nations. He will be replaced by departing Falcons teammate Toby Flood whilst Dan Cipriani is likely to hold on to the number ten jersey after impressing against Ireland in the Six Nations.
England squad
Backs: M Brown (Harlequins), P Sackey (Wasps), D Strettle (Harlequins),
T Ojo (London Irish), M Tait (Newcastle), M Tindall (Gloucester), J Noon
(Newcastle), T Flood (Newcastle), O Barkley (Bath), D Cipriani (Wasps), C
Hodgson (Sale Sharks), R Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks), P Richards (London Irish),
D Care (Harlequins).
Forwards: A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), T Payne (Wasps), M Stevens (Bath), J
Hobson (Bristol), L Mears (Bath), D Hartley (Northampton), D Paice (London
Irish), S Borthwick (Bath, capt), B Kay (Leicester), N Kennedy (London Irish),
T Palmer (Wasps), T Croft (Leicester), J Haskell (Wasps), J Worsley (Wasps), M
Lipman (Bath), T Rees (Wasps), N Easter (Harlequins), L Narraway (Gloucester).
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