BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | International | England to blood youngsters

Lions prop Phil Vickery will lead an England side containing eight uncapped players in Sunday's Prudential Tour game against the Barbarians at Twickenham.

Rising Gloucester stars James Simpson-Daniel and James Forrester head the band of international rookies in a selection heavily influenced by non-availabilities.

England boss Clive Woodward has seen his build-up to the game badly affected by injuries.

A lengthy casualty list includes established internationals such as Lawrence Dallaglio, Will Greenwood, Kyran Bracken and Iain Balshaw.

Youthful line-up

Several other top names are being rested both this weekend and for next month's one-Test Argentina tour.

And on top of that, Woodward could not consider players from Leicester or Sale because of those clubs' European final commitments this weekend.

So England will field a youthful, largely inexperienced line-up against a Baa-Baas outfit likely to feature world superstars Jonah Lomu, Christian Cullen and Christophe Dominici.

Prop Phil Vickery will captain a young team
Simpson-Daniel and Forrester will be joined by South Africa-born but English-qualified London Irish backs Michael Horak and Geoff Appleford.

The other new faces are Bristol wing Phil Christophers, Saracens centre Ben Johnston, Newcastle lock Hugh Vyvyan and London Irish flanker Paul Gustard.

There are England recalls for scrum-half Andy Gomarsall, prop Trevor Woodman and lock Simon Shaw.

But a knee injury means Matt Dawson does not feature in the 22 and could rule him out of the Argentina tour.

Dawson's injury blow

Woodward said: "I had a telephone call on Tuesday from Northampton, who want him to go for a scan and so I removed him from the squad.

"I only want to play guys who are fully fit and Andy Gomarsall did well at the weekend for Gloucester."

Juggernaut

Nick Walshe, newly recruited by Sale from Saracens, has been drafted in to provide scrum-half cover for Gomarsall.

And Woodward expects his greenhorns to give the star-studded Baa-Baas a run for their money.

He said: "This team is pushing for international honours. It has a fresh and determined look about it and I'm quite excited.

"They're all fit and it has given them an opportunity to prove they can operate at this level."

Wing Simpson-Daniel has burst on to the Premiership scene this season and, at just 19, could now find himself playing opposite New Zealand juggernaut Lomu.

His Gloucester colleague, 21-year-old flanker Forrester, is another exciting prospect.

And full-back Horak and centre Appleford are both rewarded for outstanding seasons with Powergen Cup winners and Heineken Cup qualifiers Irish.

England: Horak (London Irish); Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester), Appleford (London Irish), Johnston (Saracens), Christophers (Bristol); Walder (Newcastle), Gomarsall (Gloucester); Woodman (Gloucester), Thompson (Northampton), Vickery (Gloucester, capt), Shaw (Wasps), Vyvyan (Newcastle), Gustard (London Irish), Forrester (Gloucester), Worsley (Wasps).
Replacements: Regan (Bath), Flatman (Saracens), Codling (Harlequins), Seely (Northampton), Walshe (Sale), Jones (Orrell), Sorrell (Saracens).


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