England Rugby World Cup squad to be trimmed this week
Thursday 9 July 2015 21:18, UK
England head coach Stuart Lancaster will cut five players from his World Cup selection pool on Friday.
The current 50-man training squad is expected to be reduced to 45 ahead of the upcoming training camp in Colorado.
Lancaster will name his final 31-man World Cup squad late next month, which is likely to be less than three weeks before England's opening game against Fiji at Twickenham on September 18.
Uncapped players such as Rugby League convert Sam Burgess, forwards Luke Cowan-Dickie and Maro Itoje and back Henry Slade are expected to board the plane to Denver this weekend.
But among those who could find themselves under the selection microscope are Northampton fly-half Stephen Myler, Wasps prop Matt Mullan, Bath hooker Rob Webber and Harlequins back-row Nick Easter.
Reflecting on the training work so far, Gloucester wing Jonny May said: "The running sessions have been up there with the toughest I've done.
"The training that we've done will prepare us well. We've had some really tough fitness sessions, but I'm sure it's going to be a step up in Denver.
"It will be hot and at altitude, and I think we are planning on introducing a little bit more rugby once we get out there.
"It has been very much strength and conditioning-based so far, with a bit of skills."
