RBS Six Nations – No Way Back

There was no place for World Cup-winning flanker Neil Back in Clive Woodward’s squad for the RBS Six Nations game against Italy in Rome next Sunday.

Back’s omission means that Richard Hill could now move from blindside in a new look back-row. Also dropped from England’s World Cup squad were Saracens
scrum-half Kyran
Bracken, Back’s club team-mate and
utility
forward Martin Corry and experienced Leicester prop Graham Rowntree.

Woodward said: “It’s always hard to leave out such
established
international players as Back, Bracken, Corry and Rowntree but as
always I am
looking at current form and will continue to do so throughout the Six
Nations
and beyond.”

In all nine players were not considered because of injury,
including
fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, experienced Bath centres Mike Catt and Mike
Tindall.

Woodward, whose team will be led by new captain Lawrence Dallaglio will reduce the 28-man squad to a matchday 22 today (Monday).

He has also invited eight of England’s rising stars to train with
the
senior squad including Leeds flyers Phil Christophers and Dan
Scarborough.

England Squad for game v Italy, Rome, Sunday.
Backs:
Iain Balshaw (Bath), Ollie Barkley (Bath), Ben Cohen
(Northampton),Matt
Dawson (Northampton), Andy Gomarsall (Gloucester), Paul Grayson
(Northampton),
Will Greenwood (Harlequins), Alex King (Wasps), Josh Lewsey (Wasps),
Henry
Paul (Gloucester), Jason Robinson (Sale), James Simpson-Daniel
(Gloucester),
Ollie Smith (Leicester)
Forwards:
Steve Borthwick (Bath), Lawrence Dallaglio Wasps, capt, Danny
Grewcock
(Bath), Richard Hill (Saracens), Chris Jones (Sale), Ben Kay
(Leicester),
Jason Leonard (Harlequins), Mark Regan (Leeds), Simon Shaw (Wasps),
Matt
Stevens (Bath), Steve Thompson (Northampton), Phil Vickery
(Gloucester),
Dorian West (Leicester), Trevor Woodman (Gloucester), Joe Worsley
(Wasps).
Young players to train with senior squad:
Phil Christophers (Leeds), Harry Ellis (Leicester), David Flatman
(Bath),
Andy Hazell (Gloucester), James Forrester (Gloucester), Tom Palmer
(Leeds),
Dan Scarbrough (Leeds), Andy Titterrell (Sale)

Ireland squad for the game v France, Paris, February 14th).
Forwards: Shane Byrne (Leinster – Blackrock College), Reggie Corrigan
(Leinster – Greystones), Victor Costello (Leinster – St. Mary’s
College),
Simon Easterby (Llanelli), Anthony Foley (Munster – Shannon), Keith
Gleeson
(Leinster – St. Mary’s College), John Hayes (Munster – Shannon),
Marcus
Horan (Munster – Shannon), Donncha O’Callaghan (Munster – Cork
Constitution), Paul O’Connell (Munster – Young Munster), Malcolm
O’Kelly
(Leinster – St. Mary’s College), Frank Sheahan (Munster – Cork
Constitution).
Backs: Gordon Darcy (Leinster – Lansdowne), Girvan Dempsey (Leinster –
Terenure College), Guy Easterby (Rotherham), Shane Horgan (Leinster –
Lansdowne), Tyrone Howe (Ulster – Dungannon), David Humphreys (Ulster
–
Dungannon), Kevin Maggs (Bath), Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster – Blackrock
College) capt, Ronan O’Gara (Munster – Cork Constitution), Peter
Stringer
(Munster – Shannon).

France Six Nations squad to play Ireland:
Forwards:
Pieter De Villiers (Stade Francais), Yannick Bru (Toulouse),
Sylvain
Marconnet (Stade Francais), Jean-Jacques Crenca (Agen), William
Servat
(Toulouse), Fabien Pelous (Toulouse) capt, David Auradou (Stade
Francais),
Pascal Pape (Bourgoin), Olivier Magne (Montferrand), Imanol
Harinordoquy
(Pau), Serge Betsen (Biarritz), Thomas Lievremont (Biarritz)
Backs:
Nicolas Brusque (Biarritz), Vincent Clerc (Toulouse), Pepito
Elhorga
(Agen), Yannick Jauzion (Toulouse), Brian Liebenberg (Stade
Francais), Damien
Traille (Pau), Jean-Baptiste Elissalde (Toulouse), Dimitri Yachvili
(Biarritz), Frederic Michalak (Toulouse), Christophe Dominici (Stade
Francais)

Scotland squad for the game v Wales, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, on February 14th:

Backs: Mike Blair (Edinburgh), Chris Cusiter (Borders), Simon Danielli
(Bath/ENG),
Andrew Henderson (Glasgow), Ben Hinshelwood (Worcester/ENG), Brendan
Laney
(Edinburgh), Derrick Lee (Edinburgh), Gareth Morton (Borders), Dan
Parks
(Glasgow), Chris Paterson (Edinburgh)capt, Tom Philip (Edinburgh),
Nikki
Walker (Borders), Simon Webster (Edinburgh)

Forwards:
Gordon Bulloch (Glasgow), Simon Cross (Edinburgh), Bruce Douglas
(Borders),
Stuart Grimes (Newcastle), Nathan Hines (Edinburgh), Allister Hogg
(Edinburgh), Gavin Kerr (Leeds/ENG), Cameron Mather (Glasgow), Scott
Murray
(Edinburgh), Rob Russell (Saracens/ENG), Tom Smith (Northampton/ENG),
Simon
Taylor (Edinburgh), Jason White (Sale)

Wales Squad.
Backs:
Garan Evans (Llanelli Scarlets), Rhys Williams (Cardiff Blues),
Shane
Williams (Neath-Swansea Ospreys), Craig Morgan (Cardiff Blues),
Gareth Thomas
(Celtic Warriors), Hal Luscombe (Gwent Dragons), Jamie Robinson
(Blues), Mark
Taylor (Scarlets), Tom Shanklin (Blues), Sonny Parker (Warriors),
Iestyn
Harris (Blues), Ceri Sweeney (Warriors), Stephen Jones (Scarlets),
Dwayne Peel
(Scarlets), Gareth Cooper (Warriors)

Forwards:
Iestyn Thomas (Scarlets), Duncan Jones (Ospreys), Adam Jones
(Ospreys), G
Jenkins (Warriors), Robin McBryde (Scarlets), Gareth Williams
(Blues), Mefin
Davies (Warriors), Robert Sidoli (Warriors), Brent Cockbain
(Warriors), Gareth
Llewellyn (Ospreys), Michael Owen (Dragons), Colin Charvis (Tarbes,
FRA,) capt, Dafydd Jones (Scarlets), Jonathan Thomas (Ospreys), Martyn
Williams
(Blues), Alix Popham (Leeds)

Italian Squad for the game v England.
Forwards:
Martin Castrogiovanni (Calvisano), Andrea Lo Cicero (Lazio and
Primavera),
Salvatore Perugini (Calvisano), Carlo Festuccia (Gran Parma), Fabio
Ongaro
(Treviso), Cristian Bezzi (Viadana), Marco Bortolami (Padova), Carlo
Checcinato (Treviso), Santiago Dellape (Treviso), Andrea De Rossi
(Calvisano,
capt), Silvio Orlando (Treviso), Sergio Parisse (Treviso), Aaron
Persico
(Leeds/ENG)
Scott Palmer (Treviso)
Backs:
Paul Griffen (Calvisano), Simon Picone (Treviso), Roland De
Marigny
(Overmach Parma), Rima Wakarua (Leonessa Brescia), Matteo Barbini
(Padova),
Manuel Dallan, (Treviso), Cristian Stoica (Montpellier/FRA), Denis
Dallan
(Treviso), Nicola Mazzucato (Calvisano), Mirco Bergamasco (Stade
Francais/FRA), Andrea Masi (Viadana).