Five Chiefs take England call

Exeter Chiefs quintet Luke Cowan-Dickie, Dave Ewers, Sam Hill, Tom Johnson and Henry Slade have today all been named in Stuart Lancaster's squad that will report for training with England at the Lensbury Club,Teddington on Sunday.

The five players are among 20 that have been named from the Chiefs, Gloucester Rugby, London Irish, Newcastle Falcons, Sale Sharks and Worcester Warriors - and who will be in contention for selection for the tour to New Zealand next month and the match against the Barbarians at Twickenham Stadium on Sunday, June 1.

Back-row forward Johnson, who forms part of England's EPS squad, featured in two of England's Six Nations fixtures this season against Wales and Italy, while Ewers, Hill and Slade were also part of the Saxons squad for clashes with the Irish Wolfhounds and Scotland A.

It is, however, a first senior call for Cowan-Dickie, who underlined his on-field credentials last weekend in Exeter's 23-13 victory at Newcastle Falcons - a game watched by Lancaster himself from the stands at Kingston Park.

Further players will be added to the squad from the six remaining Aviva Premiership clubs Bath Rugby, Harlequins, Leicester Tigers, London Wasps, Northampton Saints and Saracens following the conclusion of the Aviva
Premiership semi-finals and final (May 17/18 and 31), the Amlin Challenge Cup final (May 23), Heineken Cup final (May 24) and Wasps’ European Rugby Champions Cup play-off (May 18 and 24).

The final squads for the New Zealand tour and the Barbarians match will be announced at 12pm on Monday, May 26.

England Head Coach Stuart Lancaster said: “The New Zealand tour and the game against the Barbarians give us a chance to look at a wide group of players, some of whom are well known to us from the Elite Player Squad,
others who we will get to work with for the first time next week. That is an exciting challenge for us coaches and it’s a great opportunity for those players to put a marker down for selection for the tour and the Barbarians game.”

The first group of players will fly to New Zealand on May 27 (arriving May 29) and the second group will fly on June 2 following the Aviva Premiership final and Barbarians game and join the squad in Auckland on June 4.

Commenting on the announcement, Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter added: "Obviously we're delighted to see so many of our lads get the call-up from Stuart to join the training squad. All of them have enjoyed a good season here at the Chiefs and now it's up to them to continue and take that good form into the training camp coming up.

"It's a big opportunity for all of them to go out and show what they can do and who knows they could yet have a part to play against the Barbarians or even go on tour to New Zealand.

"Again it shows the work we are doing here at the club, working with young English players, is paying dividends. In the long term I've no doubt we will reap real rewards from that work, but for now I wish all five players the best of luck and hope they do themselves and the club proud."

England training squad

Kieran Brookes (Newcastle Falcons)
Freddie Burns (Gloucester Rugby)
Danny Cipriani (Sale Sharks)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs)
Dave Ewers (Exeter Chiefs)
Sam Hill (Exeter Chiefs)
Tom Johnson (Exeter Chiefs)
Matt Kvesic (Gloucester Rugby)
Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby)
Ben Morgan (Gloucester Rugby)
Michael Paterson (Sale Sharks)
Chris Pennell (Worcester Warriors)
Dan Robson (Gloucester Rugby)
Charlie Sharples (Gloucester Rugby)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
Tommy Taylor (Sale Sharks)
Henry Thomas (Sale Sharks)
Henry Trinder (Gloucester Rugby)
Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby)
Marland Yarde (London Irish)