Bath's rugby league convert Sam Burgess will be named in England's Rugby World Cup training squad this week, and remarkably, with Manu Tuilagi sensationally out of the tournament having pleaded guilty to charges of assault and criminal damage, he could now be in line to be included in the final 31-man squad as a centre.
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Head coach Stuart Lancaster will announce his squad on Wednesday and it is thought that it could comprise some 50, maybe more, names, rather than 45 as previously thought, with bodies required to cover injuries and the late bolters likely to include Saracens' 20-year-old lock/flanker Maro Itoje, Exeter's 21-year-old hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie and, because of Tuilagi's absence, Wasps' Elliot Daly.
As expected players based abroad like Steffon Armitage and Nick Abendanon will not be selected unless there is a spectacular late change of heart. And there may be disappointment for Exeter backrower Dave Ewers, who has had an excellent season but faces considerable competition.
England see Burgess, who made a huge impression in training during the RBS Six Nations, as a centre, not as a flanker, as Bath have at the end of this, his first, season in rugby union. And that is because they feel they lack powerful ball-carriers, of which Sam Burgess may benefit from Manu Tuilagi's exclusion
Even before the Tuilagi news broke on Friday, the midfield was as uncertain as ever, with a host of players still likely to be fighting for places there. Eight centres will probably be picked, with Billy Twelvetrees and Kyle Eastmond probably having most to make up and Exeter's Henry Slade certain to be given an opportunity.
England have been keen on hooker Cowan-Dickie for a while, taking him to New Zealand last summer before he unfortunately returned home early with a knee injury, and it was originally thought that injury might have scuppered his chances this season, with London Irish's David Paice a possibility as an experienced back-up. But Cowan-Dickie's recent performances seem to have swayed the selectors.
Itoje's performances in big games have also persuaded the England management that they must take a look at him, even if the battle for four second-row places in the eventual 31-man squad for the tournament looks fierce. Leicester's Ed Slater, recently recovered from injury, appears likely to join Itoje in that quest.
England will begin their RWC preparations on June 22 at Pennyhill Park, before travelling to Denver, Colorado for a training camp on July 11 and 12. They play two warm-up Tests against France in August, with the 31-man RWC squad announced on August 31 before a final warm-up Test against Ireland on September 5.
The Telegraph, London
