Lawrence Dallaglio has been named in England's Six Nations squad almost 17 months after he quit international rugby.
But while the 33-year-old Wasps captain can look forward to being involved in next month's tournament opener against Wales at Twickenham, there is fresh injury heartache for his fellow World Cup winner Phil Vickery.
Gloucester prop Vickery is out of the 36-man squad due to another back injury that now poses serious questions about his future career prospects.
Vickery, capped 47 times, has already undergone two back operations during an injury-ravaged career, and he is only too well aware that a similar problem ended the career of his former England and Gloucester front-row colleague Trevor Woodman.
While Vickery, who England have only officially ruled out of the February 4th Wales clash, faces a difficult and uncertain few days, Dallaglio will relish linking up with the national squad at Loughborough University next week.
He quit the Test arena in August 2004, citing the "treadmill" nature of top-flight rugby. Dallaglio has won 73 caps - only Jason Leonard, Rory Underwood and Martin Johnson have made more England appearances - and his last Test match was a 51-15 defeat against Australia some two months previously, when he wore the captain's armband.
Having made clear a desire to savour the international scene again, Dallaglio's selection was pretty much inevitable once he had proved his fitness following a serious ankle injury that prematurely ended his Lions tour of New Zealand last summer.
Whether or not he makes the starting line-up against Wales is unclear, given that England head coach Andy Robinson has considerable back-row options, including the likes of a fit-again Joe Worsley, Lewis Moody, whose nine-week suspension expires later this month, and skipper Martin Corry.
Elsewhere, Robinson, who confirmed Corry as Six Nations captain, has selected uncapped Sale Sharks flanker Magnus Lund and recalled locks Alex Brown and Simon Shaw after they missed the autumn Tests through injury.
Jonny Wilkinson, Andy Farrell and Andy Hazell, meanwhile, were not considered because they are either injured or returning to full fitness.
England Squad
Backs: S Abbott (Wasps), O Barkley (Bath), B Cohen (Northampton), M Cueto (Sale), M Dawson (Wasps), H Ellis (Leicester), A Goode (Leicester), C Hodgson (Sale), J Lewsey (Wasps), J Noon (Newcastle), P Richards (Gloucester), J Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester), M Tindall (Gloucester), M van Gisbergen (Wasps), T Varndell (Leicester), T Voyce (Wasps).
Forwards: S Borthwick (Bath), A Brown (Gloucester), G Chuter (Leicester), M Corry (Leicester, captain), L Dallaglio (Wasps), L Deacon (Leicester), J Forrester (Gloucester), P Freshwater (Perpignan), D Grewcock (Bath), C Jones (Sale), M Lund (Sale), L Mears (Bath), L Moody (Leicester), P Sanderson (Worcester), S Shaw (Wasps), A Sheridan (Sale), M Stevens (Bath), S Thompson (Northampton), J White (Leicester), J Worsley (Wasps).
