Phil Vickery has pledged to turn England's rugby fortunes around after being installed as national captain yesterday in succession to Martin Corry. The Wasps prop has been put in charge of a revamped 33-man squad for next month's Six Nations Championship. There is also a return for the former captain Jason Robinson.
Neither Vickery nor Robinson, who retired from Test rugby 15 months ago, were prominently involved in England's fall from grace in 2006 but after the side suffered eight defeats in the last nine Tests under Andy Robinson they find themselves central figures in the new Twickenham regime headed by Brian Ashton.
The 60-year-old head coach has wasted no time in banishing the cobwebs he inherited from his predecessor by dropping two World Cup winners - the wing Ben Cohen and lock Ben Kay - to the shadow England Saxons squad. Lawrence Dallaglio's Test career appears to be over and the fly-half Andy Goode has been jettisoned completely.
In their place Ashton has plumped for a blend of youth and experience. The evergreen Mike Catt is back and Jonny Wilkinson, despite his serious injury problems, has been named in the squad to train at Twickenham for three days from January 22. Saracens' former Great Britain rugby league captain Andy Farrell, picked as a centre, is one of four uncapped players, alongside London Irish's 20-year-old fly-half Shane Geraghty, the Wasps flanker Tom Rees and Bristol's New Zealand-born No8 Dan Ward-Smith, who attended the same school as Vickery, Budehaven Comprehensive.
The ditching of the valiant Corry, who led England in 14 of their last 16 Tests, is a further sign of Ashton's determination to distance himself from the selectorial policies of the previous regime, though the Leicester No8 remains in the squad. As recently as last year Vickery's career was in doubt after he had his third back operation but, at 30, he is in charge through to this autumn's World Cup and will win his 50th cap against Scotland on February 3.
"England have been poor and we've got to put those things right," Vickery said last night. "But anyone who says it's Martin Corry's fault is a fool. Hopefully he'll be playing alongside me in the Six Nations."
England can expect no shortage of tough talking from their new captain. "I want the England team to get angry, to show it means everything to them," he says in the latest edition of Rugby World magazine. "Sometimes I think the new generation of rugby players haven't had it tough enough. I used to milk 100 cows six days a week and then go to a place like Newbridge in Wales on a wet Wednesday night and have my head kicked in. It was a tough apprenticeship, but you know what? I miss those days."
The return of the 39-times capped Robinson has not met with unanimous approval. "On current form I would have to say he would not be an instant in my squad," said the former England scrum-half Dewi Morris. "He has lacked a little bit of zip." The World Cup-winning centre Mike Tindall and hooker Steve Thompson have also been recalled.
Squad in full
Backs
I Balshaw (Gloucester), M Catt (London Irish), M Cueto (Sale), H Ellis (Leicester), A Farrell (Saracens), T Flood (Newcastle), S Geraghty (London Irish), J Lewsey (Wasps), J Noon (Newcastle), S Perry (Bristol), J Robinson (Sale), P Richards (Gloucester), P Sackey (Wasps), M Tait (Newcastle), M Tindall (Gloucester), J Wilkinson (Newcastle).
Forwards
A Brown (Gloucester), G Chuter, M Corry, L Deacon (all Leicester), P Freshwater (Perpignan), D Grewcock (Bath), M Lund (Sale), L Mears (Bath), L Moody (Leicester), T Payne, T Palmer, T Rees (all Wasps), S Thompson (Northampton), P Vickery (Wasps, capt), D Ward-Smith (Bristol), J White (Leicester), J Worsley (Wasps).
