Summer tours - squad news: Danny Cipriani has been left out of England's squad for the summer Test series against Argentina - but there is a recall for 2003 World Cup-winning hooker Steve Thompson.
Cipriani has been included in the Saxons squad for the Churchill Cup after being overtaken in the England pecking order by Leicester’s in-form fly-half Sam Vesty, who is among six uncapped players called up by manager Martin Johnson.
Newcastle prop David Wilson and Tom May, who has been playing at outhalf for the Falcons, are both included along with Harlequins pair Chris Robshaw and Jordan Turner-Hall plus Gloucester prop Nick Wood.
England play the Barbarians at Twickenham on May 30th before tackling the Pumas home and away, at Old Trafford on June 6 and in Salta a week later.
Thompson, 30, won the last of his 47 England caps off the bench in March 2006 before spending the best part of a year in retirement after suffering a neck injury.
He took a coaching role with Brive but in 2007 he sought further medical advice, in both France and the United States, and was given the all-clear to pull on his boots again.
Leicester scrumhalf Julien Dupuy has been called up by France for the first time ahead of Les Bleus’ summer tour to the southern hemisphere.
Dupuy has had a stunning end to the season with the Tigers, who have just been crowned English champions and take on Leinster in the Heineken Cup final on Saturday.
He is one of two number nines named in a 30-man squad announced today by France head coach Marc Lievremont, although Dupuy should play second fiddle in that department to Bourgoin’s Morgan Parra.
Experienced scrumhalves Dimitri Yachvili and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde have again been overlooked by Lievremont.
Fit-again Stade Francais lock Pascal Pape returns to the squad after a lengthy spell in the international wilderness, while Toulouse winger Vincent Clerc is included having regained his match sharpness after a serious knee injury.
Aurelien Rougerie and Alexis Palisson are other widemen called up after being ignored for the Six Nations Championship.
England squad: S Armitage, S Borthwick, G Chuter, J Crane, T Croft, L Deacon, N Easter, D Hartley, J Haskell, B Kay, N Kennedy, L Moody, T Payne, T Rees, C Robshaw, S Thompson, J White, D Wilson, N Wood; D Armitage, D Care, M Cueto, B Foden, A Goode, J Turner-Hall, D Hipkiss, P Hodgson, T May, O Morgan, J Noon, D Strettle, M Tait, S Vesty, R Wigglesworth.
France squad: S Marconnet, T Domingo, F Barcella, N Mas, D Szarzewski, G Guirado, W Servat, L Nallet, R Millo-Chluski, P Pape, S Chabal, I Harinordoquy, T Dusautoir, J Bonnaire, F Ouedraogo, L Picamoles; M Parra, J Dupuy, F Trinh-Duc, D Skrela, Y Jauzion, F Fritz, M Mermoz, D Traille, M Bastareaud, V Clerc, C Heymans, A Rougerie, M Medard, A Palisson.
