Leicester's 20-year-old wing Tom Varndell, the new whizz-kid on the Premiership block, and Gloucester's elusive James Simpson-Daniel were included in England's 30-man squad yesterday as head coach Andy Robinson sought to give his team fresh attacking impetus ahead of Saturday's international against Samoa.
Whether Varndell makes Robinson's starting XV today remains to be seen, but the fast-tracking of an exciting young talent suggests the management has heeded the less-than-flattering reviews of England's backplay against New Zealand at the weekend.
Simpson-Daniel, now fully fit, has been playing number 13 for Gloucester recently at Robinson's request and may be asked to fulfil the same role for his country when the starting line-up is confirmed this afternoon.
However, by dropping only the Leicester pair of Andy Goode and Ollie Smith and declining to call up further fringe candidates such as the Wasps' pair Stuart Abbott and Tom Rees, Robinson clearly wants the nucleus of his first-choice team to be involved against Samoa, whose shadow team face Harlequins tonight.
If Varndell, who has scored six tries in seven Premiership games this season for the Tigers, is promoted straight into the starting XV it will certainly not impress Wasps' Tom Voyce, who has also been in sparkling form lately.
If Mark van Gisbergen starts at fullback, it would also make sense to field a club-mate such as Voyce or Josh Lewsey alongside him. However, Varndell appears destined to win a cap sooner rather than later. He made his Leicester debut last year and has been timed running 100 metres on grass in his socks in 10.80 seconds.
The Perpignan prop Perry Freshwater and the Gloucester trio of Peter Richards, Andy Hazell and Jamie Forrester are also back in the squad having failed to feature against the Wallabies or the All Blacks. But hooker Lee Mears, lock Louis Deacon and prop Matt Stevens appear more likely to get the starting nod, particularly with several England's forwards still fingering their bruises from the weekend.
ENGLAND (squad v Samoa): Backs: Barkley (Bath), Cohen (Northampton), Cueto (Sale), Dawson (Wasps), Ellis (Leicester), Lewsey (Wasps), Hodgson (Sale), Noon (Newcastle), Richards, Simpson-Daniel, Tindall (all Gloucester), Van Gisbergen (Wasps), Varndell (Leicester), Voyce (Wasps). Forwards: Borthwick (Bath), Corry (Leicester, capt), Deacon (Leicester), Freshwater (Perpignan), Forrester (Gloucester), Grewcock (Bath), Hazell (Gloucester), Jones (Sale), Mears (Bath), Moody (Leicester), Sanderson (Worcester), Shaw (Wasps), Sheridan (Sale), Stevens (Bath), Thompson (Northampton), Vickery (Gloucester).
