England head coach Stuart Lancaster has today announced his revised Senior England Elite Player Squad and the training squad for the start of the Six Nations, as well as the Saxons and Under-20s groups.
Tigers captain Toby Flood has been replaced by former club colleague George Ford in the mid-season squad revision under the Rugby Football Union’s agreement with Premiership Rugby Ltd.
Ford and Slater are among the nine England Saxons who will join the RBS 6 Nations training squad at Pennyhill Park on January 20 as injury replacements for players who will remain in the Senior EPS.
Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints), Tom Johnson (Exeter Chiefs), Jonny May (Gloucester), Matt Mullan (London Wasps), Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs), Slater (Leicester Tigers), Henry Thomas (Sale Sharks) and Anthony Watson (Bath) replace Manusamoa Tuilagi (chest), Tom Croft (knee), Marland Yarde (hip), Alex Corbisiero (knee), Christian Wade (foot), Geoff Parling (shoulder), David Wilson (calf) and Ben Foden (knee) respectively.
In addition, Stephen Myler (Northampton Saints), Rob Webber (Bath) and Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens), will train with the Senior squad.
Lancaster said: “We have kept changes to a minimum because we believe this squad can take us forward into 2015 and we are hopeful that some of those injured may be available before the end of the Six Nations and certainly for the New Zealand tour.
“I have met Toby Flood several times and told him I really wanted him to stay at Leicester and play for England. He has made a lifestyle choice and we respect that but, given the RFU’s policy of not selecting players based overseas save for exceptional circumstances, it was important that we allow others such as George Ford to progress.
“Stephen Myler has a chance to lay down a marker when he trains with us while we have decided that Freddie Burns should get more international game time with the Saxons against the O2 Ireland Wolfhounds at Kingsholm on January 25. Rob Webber and Richard Wigglesworth will give us some depth to our training.”
In the Saxons EPS squad Nathan Catt (Bath), Mullan (Wasps), Will Collier (Harlequins), Sam Dickinson (Northampton Saints), Dave Ewers (Exeter Chiefs), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Henry Trinder (Gloucester) and Watson replace Kearnan Myall (Wasps), Nick Wood (Gloucester), Paul Doran Jones (Harlequins), Jordan Crane (Leicester Tigers), Thomas Waldrom (Leicester Tigers), Ford, David Strettle (Saracens) and Charlie Sharples (Gloucester).
A list of senior England players coming into camp for the Six Nations and the Saxons squad for games against Ireland Wolfhounds and Scotland A will be issued on January 17.
The England Under-20s squad for the Six Nations shows four changes with Tom Woolstencroft (Bath), Tom Collins (Northampton), Aaron Morris (Bedford Blues) and Max Stelling (Worcester Warriors) replacing Cameron Neild (Sale Sharks), Watson, George Catchpole (Leicester Tigers) and Jordan Burns (Harlequins).
ENGLAND SENIOR EPS (33)
Forwards
David Attwood (Bath Rugby)
Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
Alex Corbisiero (Northampton Saints)
Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers)
Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
Matt Kvesic (Gloucester Rugby)
Joe Launchbury (London Wasps)
Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints)
Joe Marler (Harlequins)
Ben Morgan (Gloucester Rugby)
Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers)
Chris Robshaw (Harlequins)
Billy Vunipola (Saracens)
Mako Vunipola (Saracens)
David Wilson (Bath Rugby)
Tom Wood (Northampton Saints)
Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
Backs
Chris Ashton (Saracens)
Brad Barritt (Saracens)
Mike Brown (Harlequins)
Freddie Burns (Gloucester Rugby)
Danny Care (Harlequins)
Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints)
Kyle Eastmond (Bath Rugby)
Owen Farrell (Saracens)
Ben Foden (Northampton Saints)
George Ford (Bath Rugby)
Alex Goode (Saracens)
Manusamoa Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers)
Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby)
Christian Wade (London Wasps)
Marland Yarde (London Irish)
Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
ENGLAND RBS 6 NATIONS SQUAD
Forwards
David Attwood (Bath Rugby)
Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
Matt Kvesic (Gloucester Rugby)
Tom Johnson (Exeter Chiefs)
Joe Launchbury (London Wasps)
Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints)
Joe Marler (Harlequins)
Ben Morgan (Gloucester Rugby)
Matt Mullan (London Wasps)
Chris Robshaw (Harlequins)
Ed Slater (Leicester Tigers)
Henry Thomas (Sale Sharks)
Billy Vunipola (Saracens)
Mako Vunipola (Saracens)
Rob Webber (Bath Rugby)
Tom Wood (Northampton Saints)
Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
Backs
Chris Ashton (Saracens)
Brad Barritt (Saracens)
Mike Brown (Harlequins)
Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints)
Danny Care (Harlequins)
Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints)
Kyle Eastmond (Bath Rugby)
Owen Farrell (Saracens)
George Ford (Bath Rugby)
Alex Goode (Saracens)
Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby)
Stephen Myler (Northampton Saints)
Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs)
Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby)
Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby)
Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens)
Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
ENGLAND SAXONS EPS (32)
Forwards
Nathan Catt (Bath Rugby)
Calum Clark (Northampton Saints)
Will Collier (Harlequins)
Sam Dickinson (Northampton Saints)
Dave Ewers (Exeter Chiefs)
Will Fraser (Saracens)
James Haskell (London Wasps)
Tom Johnson (Exeter Chiefs)
Graham Kitchener (Leicester Tigers)
George Kruis (Saracens)
Matt Mullan (London Wasps)
David Paice (London Irish)
George Robson (Harlequins)
Ed Slater (Leicester Tigers)
Henry Thomas (Sale Sharks)
Luke Wallace (Harlequins)
Rob Webber (Bath Rugby)
Backs
Anthony Allen (Leicester Tigers)
Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints)
Elliot Daly (London Wasps)
Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby)
Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby)
Ugo Monye (Harlequins)
Stephen Myler (Northampton Saints)
Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
Joe Simpson (London Wasps)
Mathew Tait (Leicester Tigers)
Joel Tomkins (Saracens)
Henry Trinder (Gloucester Rugby)
Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby)
Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens)
ENGLAND UNDER-20s ELITE PLAYER SQUAD (32)
Forwards
James Chisholm (Harlequins)
Joel Conlon (Exeter Chiefs)
Tom Ellis (Bath Rugby)
Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby)
Paul Hill (Leeds Carnegie)
Jonny Hill (Gloucester Rugby)
Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi (Northampton Saints)
Maro Itoje (Saracens)
Gus Jones (London Wasps)
Lewis Ludlow (Gloucester Rugby)
Alex Lundberg (London Wasps)
Ross Moriarty (Gloucester Rugby)
Will Owen (Leicester Tigers)
Harry Rudkin (Leicester Tigers)
Harry Thacker (Leicester Tigers)
Scott Wilson (Newcastle Falcons)
Tom Woolstencroft (Bath Rugby)
Backs
Callum Braley (Bristol Rugby)
Billy Burns (Gloucester Rugby)
Tom Collins (Northampton Saints)
Nathan Earle (Saracens)
Louis Grimoldby (Harlequins)
Zach Kibirige (Newcastle Falcons)
Aaron Morris (Bedford Blues)
Sam Olver (Northampton Saints)
Howard Packman (Northampton Saints)
Henry Purdy (Leicester Tigers)
Harry Sloan (Harlequins)
Tom Stephenson (Northampton Saints)
Max Stelling (Worcester Warriors)
Nick Tompkins (Saracens)
Stuart Townsend (Exeter Chiefs)
