Wednesday 20 May 2015 14:10, UK
We look at five of the uncapped players named in Stuart Lancaster's World Cup training squad...
All eyes were on Burgess following his move from rugby league to union and, after a shaky start, the 26-year-old appears to be getting to grips with the 15-man code. Having initially struggled at centre, Bath have moved Burgess to the back row, where he has displayed his value as a destructive ball-carrier.
An England international in league, Burgess still has some way to go to before he scales the same heights in union. Flanker appears to be his best position but England are understood to be considering moving him back to centre to fill the sizeable gap left by Manu Tuilagi.
Elliot Daly was named Aviva Premiership Player of the Month for March, a well-deserved accolade for what has been an impressive season for the versatile back.
Daly has put in all-round performances that have led to him making the top five in several categories for Wasps in the Aviva Premiership, including tries scored, try assists, carries, metres gained, offloads, tackles and turnovers won.
Despite his consistent form and appearances for England U20s, England Saxons and the Barbarians, Daly has struggled to break into the England setup, but the axeing of Manu Tuilagi could present him with an opportunity.
In addition to his positional versatility, Daly also brings a long-range boot with him, which may well prove invaluable at the World Cup.
Henry Slade has been at the helm of Exeter's most successful season since joining the Premiership in 2010. The 22-year-old fly-half has represented England Under 20s as well as England Saxons, and has matured into a senior member of the Chiefs' setup after graduating from its youth system.
Also comfortable at centre, Slade played in all 22 Premiership clashes for his club, steering them all the way into play-off contention before they fell out of the race by a single log point on the final day.
In the span of this season's campaign he notched up seven tries and kicked 44 out of 56 kicks for a total of 150 points, which placed him in the top 10 in the Premiership overall.
Maro Itoje has been identified as one of England’s bright prospects for the future, having already captained the Saracens first team at the age of 20. Itoje was skipper of the England U20 squad that won the IRB Junior World Championship in New Zealand last year, after scoring a try in each of England’s U20 Six Nations matches a few months earlier.
Itoje quickly progressed into the Saracens first team from there, spearheading their victorious LV= Cup campaign as well as making 13 Premiership appearances in the regular season. He even featured in his club’s European campaign, culminating in a starting berth in the Champions Cup semi-final against Clermont in April.
At 6"5, Itoje offers options to England both at lock and loose forward.
The Exeter Chiefs hooker is only 21 but travelled with England during last summer’s tour of New Zealand, only to pick up an injury in training.
Cowan-Dickie came through the Exeter academy system and started out as a loosehead prop before moving across the front row. He is a powerful ball-carrier and has featured for England at underage level.
He endured an injury-interrupted campaign with the Chiefs but featured in their final three games and scored a try during their superb victory over Saracens as they narrowly missed out on a Premiership semi-final spot.
