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World Cup waiting

Image: Tuilagi: World Cup hopeful

Who has sealed their place in Martin Johnson's World Cup squad and who is left biting their nails?

We look at the main contenders for places in England's World Cup squad

With England manager Martin Johnson naming his final Rugby World Cup squad on Monday August 22, we look at how the main contenders for places are getting on. Johnson's current 40-man squad has to be trimmed to 30, and the players will find out some time during week whether they have made the cut or not. With ten players set for disappointment, we look at the winners and losers from England's two warm-up internationals against Wales. Have your say on the choices using the feedback form below...
ON THE PLANE
Alex Corbisiero - The London Irish loosehead prop made two assured performances in a dominant England pack against Wales and his attitude has impressed the management. Manu Tuilagi - The Leicester centre has made the biggest impression of any player in England's pre-World Cup camp and made a try-scoring Test debut against Wales at Twickenham. Lee Mears - England are sure to take three hookers and Mears has timed his run back to form perfectly. A Test Lion from 2009, Mears overtook George Chuter before a warm-up match had been played.
STILL QUEUING AT CHECK-IN
Hendre Fourie - The Sale flanker played 50 minutes at the Millennium Stadium and would offer England a specialist understudy to Lewis Moody but can they afford to take six loose-forwards? Simon Shaw - The veteran lock made a bright start at Twickenham and is ahead of Mouritz Botha in the pecking order but could miss out if England only take three specialist locks. Richard Wigglesworth - Wigglesworth is dependant on either Ben Youngs failing to recover from a knee injury or England deciding against using Ben Foden or Riki Flutey as third choice scrum-half.
NO ROOM ON THE PLANE
Charlie Hodgson - The new Saracens recruit barely saw 20 minutes' action in the two Wales games and England are expected to travel with two fly-halves. Charlie Sharples - The fastest man in the squad impressed in camp and made his Test debut off the bench at Twickenham but there is unlikely to be room for the promising Gloucester wing. Chris Robshaw - The industrious Harlequins captain can play across the back row and would be an ideal man to take as cover but did not feature in either Test.
ENGLAND'S POSSIBLE WORLD CUP SQUAD:
PROP - Andrew Sheridan, Alex Corbisiero, Matt Stevens, Dan Cole, David Wilson HOOKER - Dylan Hartley, Steve Thompson, Lee Mears LOCK - Courtney Lawes, Tom Palmer, Louis Deacon, Simon Shaw BACK ROW - Lewis Moody (capt), James Haskell, Nick Easter, Tom Wood, Tom Croft SCRUM-HALF - Ben Youngs, Danny Care FLY-HALF - Toby Flood, Jonny Wilkinson CENTRES - Shontayne Hape, Riki Flutey, Mike Tindall, Manu Tuilagi WING - Chris Ashton, Mark Cueto, Matt Banahan FULL-BACK - Ben Foden, Delon Armitage

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