Burgess in England World Cup training squad

Rugby league convert Sam Burgess was named in hosts England's 50-man training squad announced Wednesday for this year's World Cup.

Burgess, 26, was included just six months after switching from rugby league having starred as the South Sydney Rabbitohs won the NRL Grand Final.

However, doubts remain over whether Burgess -- uncapped in rugby union -- will play as a centre or at blindside flanker, where he has been deployed recently by club side Bath.

Burgess would certainly add some physical power to a midfield missing Manu Tuilagi, who will be absent from the World Cup after being suspended from Test duty by England coach Stuart Lancaster until January for assaulting a taxi driver and two female police officers.

- No Abendanon and Armitage -

As was widely expected, there was no place for the French-based pair of back-row forward Steffon Armitage and full-back Nick Abendanon, with Lancaster refusing to use the "exceptional circumstances" get-out clause that would have enabled him to overturn the Rugby Football Union rule banning players at overseas clubs from Test selection.

But there were call-ups for Saracens wings Chris Ashton and David Strettle.

Ashton hasn't played international rugby for nearly a year while Strettle hasn't been involved with England since 2013.

As well as Burgess, England's squad included five more uncapped players in Mario Itoje, Henry Slade, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Elliot Daley and Calum Clarke.
"We are excited to name this extended squad which allows us to look at a wide group of players who have been pushing hard for selection in training with us or playing well for their clubs this season," Lancaster said in a RFU statement.

"It's great to be able to include Alex Corbisiero, Joe Launchbury, Ben Morgan, Ed Slater and David Wilson, who missed the Six Nations because of injury and are close to returning to play or have recently begun playing again.

"There are a lot of experienced internationals within the squad with the likes of Chris Ashton and David Strettle, who are in great form, returning."

England will gather at their Pennyhill Park training base, south of London, to begin preparations for a World Cup where they face Fiji in their opening match at Twickenham on September 18 in a tough group that also includes Australia and Wales.

They will be looking to become only the second England side to win the World Cup following the triumphant Red Rose team of 2003.

This training squad is set to be reduced prior to a training camp in Denver, Colorado and cut again to 31 ahead of the World Cup squad deadline of August 31.

Squad:

Backs

Full-backs: Mike Brown (Harlequins), Alex Goode (Saracens)

Wings: Chris Ashton (Saracens), Jonny May (Gloucester), Jack Nowell (Exeter), David Strettle (Saracens), Anthony Watson (Bath), Marland Yarde (Harlequins)

Centres: Brad Barritt (Saracens), Luther Burrell (Northampton), Sam Burgess (Bath), Elliot Daly (Wasps), Kyle Eastmond (Bath), Jonathan Joseph (Bath), Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester)

Fly-halves: Danny Cipriani (Sale), Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford (Bath), Stephen Myler (Northampton), Henry Slade (Exeter)

Scrum-halves: Danny Care (Harlequins), Lee Dickson (Northampton), Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens), Ben Youngs (Leicester)

Forwards

Back-rows: Calum Clark (Northampton), Nick Easter (Harlequins), James Haskell (Wasps), Matt Kvesic (Gloucester), Ben Morgan (Gloucester), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), Billy Vunipola (Saracens), Tom Wood (Northampton)

Second-rows: Dave Attwood (Bath),Maro Itoje (Saracens), Courtney Lawes (Northampton), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), George Kruis (Saracens), Geoff Parling (Leicester), Ed Slater (Leicester)

Props: Kieran Brookes (Newcastle), Dan Cole (Leicester), Alex Corbisiero (Northampton), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Matt Mullan (Wasps),Mako Vunipola (Saracens), David Wilson (Bath)

Hookers: Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter), Dylan Hartley (Northampton), Rob Webber (Bath), Tom Youngs (Leicester)

Fixtures

May 31 Twickenham: England XV v Barbarians (1400GMT)

World Cup warm-ups

August 15, Twickenham: England v France (1900 GMT)

August 22, Stade de France: France v England, (1900 GMT)

September 05, Twickenham: England v Ireland (1430 GMT)

World Cup pool matches

September 18, Twickenham: England v Fiji (1900 GMT)

September 26, Twickenham: England v Wales (1900 GMT)

October 3, Twickenham: England v Australia (1900 GMT)

October 10, Manchester City Stadium: England v Uruguay (1900 GMT)
Source: AFP