Borthwick to skipper tour

Johnson turns to Bath lock to tackle the All Blacks

By Tony Curtis   Last updated: 13th May 2008

Steve Borthwick England

Borthwick: England's captain to tour New Zealand

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England manager Martin Johnson has turned to Steve Borthwick to captain his side to New Zealand.

The Bath lock, who will leave The Rec in the summer to join Saracens, did lead England against Italy in the RBS Six Nations when Phil Vickery was ruled out through injury.

And with the Wasps prop missing the two-Test tour against the All Blacks, Borthwick has the chance to stake a claim for the captaincy.

Johnson has also included six uncapped players in his squad, with call-ups for London Irish winger Topsy Ojo, Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care, Bristol prop Jason Hobson, Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley, Irish hooker David Paice and his club colleague, lock Nick Kennedy.

However there is no place for Mark Regan, Iain Balshaw and Lesley Vainikolo, while Simon Shaw, Josh Lewsey, Jonny Wilkinson, James Simpson-Daniel Lewis Moody, Shane Geraghty and Toby Flood are among the players joining Vickery who are either injured or requiring surgery in the close season.

England have stuck by Paul Sackey despite the Wasps winger suffering a knee injury against Leeds.

Matt Banahan, Ryan Lamb, Ben Foden, Anthony Allen, Tom Guest and Will Skinner were all pushing for call-ups to the full squad, however they have been included in a strong Saxons squad for Barclays Churchill Cup.

The tour to New Zealand will be led by RFU elite director Rob Andrew as Johnson is remaining in England with his pregnant wife. Andrew will be assisted by John Wells, Mike Ford, Graeme Rowntree and Jon Callard.

Newcastle's interim director of rugby Steve Bates will lead the Saxons squad.

England - Backs: M Brown (Harlequins), P Sackey (Wasps), D Strettle (Harlequins), T Ojo (London Irish), M Tait (Newcastle), M Tindall (Gloucester), J Noon (Newcastle), T Flood (Newcastle), O Barkley (Bath), D Cipriani (Wasps), C Hodgson (Sale Sharks), R Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks), P Richards (London Irish), D Care (Harlequins).
Forwards: A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), T Payne (Wasps), M Stevens (Bath), J Hobson (Bristol), L Mears (Bath), D Hartley (Northampton), D Paice (London Irish), S Borthwick (Bath, capt), B Kay (Leicester), N Kennedy (London Irish), T Palmer(Wasps), T Croft (Leicester), J Haskell (Wasps), J Worsley (Wasps), M Lipman (Bath), T Rees (Wasps), N Easter (Harlequins), L Narraway (Gloucester).

England Saxons - Backs: N Abendanon (Bath), A Allen (Gloucester), M Banahan (Bath), L Dickson (Newcastle), B Foden (Sale Sharks), P Hodgson (London Irish), A Jarvis

(Harlequins), R Lamb (Gloucester), U Monye (Harlequins), O Smith (Leicester), T Varndell (Leicester), D Waldouck (Wasps).
Forwards: S Armitage (London Irish), R Blaze (Leicester), A Brown (Gloucester), G Chuter (Leicester), A Clarke (Bristol), J Crane (Leicester), J Forster (Gloucester), T Guest (Harlequins), C Jones (Sale Sharks), N Lloyd (Saracens), C Robshaw (Harlequins), W Skinner (Harlequins, capt), G Skivington (Wasps), A Titterrell (Gloucester), R Webber (Wasps), D Wilson (Newcastle).