Lock Steve Borthwick will captain England on the two-Test tour of New Zealand next month, taking over from the injured Phil Vickery, it was announced here today.
Capped 37 times for his country, Borthwick has recent experience of the role after acting as captain for England's Six Nations victory over Italy in February.
He will be in charge of a 32-man squad - the first of Martin Johnson's reign as England manager - that includes six uncapped players.
The newcomers are London Irish wing Topsy Ojo, Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care, Bristol prop Jason Hobson, Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley, Irish hooker David Paice and his club colleague, lock Nick Kennedy.
Apart from Vickery, who has a knee injury, other absentees from the Six Nations campaign include fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, who is absent through shoulder surgery, Wasps lock Simon Shaw and Bristol hooker Mark Regan..
But the major selection casualties appear to be Gloucester backs Iain Balshaw and Lesley Vainikolo.
Fullback Balshaw started all five of England's Six Nations Tests, while former Bradford Bulls wing Vainikolo made his debut off the bench against Wales and then kept his place for the remaining four fixtures.
World Cup-winning centre Mike Tindall is recalled after it looked as if his season was over following a serious injury against Wales at Twickenham.
Tindall spent three days in the intensive care unit of a London hospital with problems to his liver and internal bleeding.
But he returned to action in Gloucester's European Cup quarter-final defeat against Munster last month and was widely regarded as Borthwick's chief rival for the captaincy.
New Zealand-born Hartley is likely to find himself the focus of much attention. The front-row was a candidate for England's World Cup squad last year before being cited and then banned for 26 weeks after being found guilty of gouging during a club game.
Despite playing the whole of this season in English rugby's second tier with the Saints he could yet gain a place in the 22 for the first Test.
When England fly out to New Zealand on June 2, they will be without Johnson who is staying at home to be with his pregnant wife.
In his absence, former England stand-off Rob Andrew, now the elite rugby director at the Rugby Football Union, will be the tour manager.
England play the All Blacks in Auckland on June 14 and then a week later in Christchurch.
England 32-man squad announced for the two-Test tour of New Zealand in June:
Backs
Olly Barkley, Mike Brown, Danny Care, Danny Cipriani, Toby Flood, Charlie Hodgson, Jamie Noon, Topsy Ojo, Peter Richards, Paul Sackey, David Strettle, Mathew Tait, Mike Tindall, Richard Wigglesworth
Forwards
Steve Borthwick (capt), Tom Croft, Nick Easter, Dylan Hartley, James Haskell, Jason Hobson, Ben Kay, Nick Kennedy, Michael Lipman, Lee Mears, Luke Narraway, David Paice, Tom Palmer, Tim Payne, Tom Rees, Andrew Sheridan, Matt Stevens, Joe Worsley
Fixtures
June 14: New Zealand v England, Eden Park, Auckland
June 21: New Zealand v England, Lancaster Park, Christchurch
AFP
