England will take a depleted squad on its tour of South Africa next month after head coach Brian Ashton decided to leave out players involved in European club competitions.
Players from Leicester, Wasps and Bath will not be in the squad to play South Africa on May 26 in Bloemfontein and June 2 in Pretoria, Ashton said on Thursday. The 32-man tour squad is named on Tuesday.
Bath play French side Clermont Auvergne in the European Challenge Cup on May 19, and Leicester and Wasps play in the Heineken Cup final on May 20.
Ashton said players involved in those matches would not have time to prepare and acclimatise for the first South Africa match and he also wanted them fresh for the World Cup warm-up camps starting late June.
”Finally, I also feel very strongly that the players I will select for the touring squad must be trusted and respected to fulfil the two fixtures against South Africa,” Ashton said.
Players who will not make the England squad include Wasps teammates Phil Vickery, Joe Worsley and Josh Lewsey; Leicester’s Martin Corry, Julian White, Lewis Moody and Harry Ellis; and Bath’s Danny Grewcock and Steve Borthwick.
Mike Tindall, Tim Payne and Olly Morgan are injured and will miss the tour.
England begin their World Cup preparations on June 25 with a two-week training camp in Portugal. They will leave for France on September 3, with their opening game on September 8 against the United States.
The World Cup runs from September 8 until October 20 and is largely played in France, with games in Cardiff, Wales, and Edinburgh, Scotland. — Sapa-AP