Cipriani axed as Thompson recalled

DANNY CIPRIANI has been left out of England’s squad for the summer Test series against Argentina – but there is a recall for 2003 World Cup-winning hooker Steve Thompson.

Cipriani has been included in the Saxons squad for the Churchill Cup after being overtaken in the England pecking order by Leicester’s in-form fly-half Sam Vesty, who is among six uncapped players called up by manager Martin Johnson.

Newcastle prop David Wilson and Tom May, who has been playing at fly-half for the Falcons, are both included along with Harlequins pair Chris Robshaw and Jordan Turner-Hall plus Gloucester prop Nick Wood.

England play the Barbarians at Twickenham on May 30 before tackling the Pumas home and away, at Old Trafford on June 6 and in Salta a week later.

Leicester scrum-half Julien Dupuy has been called up by France for the first time ahead of Les Bleus’ summer tour to the southern hemisphere.

He is one of two number nines named in a 30-man squad announced by France head coach Marc Lievremont, although Dupuy should play second fiddle in that department to Bourgoin’s Morgan Parra.

Experienced scrum-halves Dimitri Yachvili and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde are again overlooked by Lievremont.

Fit-again Stade Francais lock Pascal Pape returns to the squad after a lengthy spell in the international wilderness, while Toulouse winger Vincent Clerc is included having regained his match sharpness after a serious knee injury.

Aurelien Rougerie and Alexis Palisson are other wide men called up after being ignored for the RBS 6 Nations Championship.

Lievremont has opted for Toulouse’s David Skrela and Montpellier’s Francois Trinh-Duc as the two fly-halves, meaning there is no place for Lionel Beauxis.

Also absent from the back division are Clement Poitrenaud, Julien Malzieu and Benoit Baby.

France play New Zealand twice – in Dunedin on June 13 and Wellington on June 20 – before rounding off the tour with a Test against Australia, in Sydney on June 27.

England forwards: S Armitage (London Irish), S Borthwick (Saracens, capt), G Chuter (Leicester), J Crane (Leicester), T Croft (Leicester), L Deacon (Leicester), N Easter (Harlequins), D Hartley (Northampton), J Haskell (Wasps), B Kay (Leicester), N Kennedy (London Irish), L Moody (Leicester), T Payne (Wasps), T Rees (Wasps), C Robshaw (Harlequins), S Thompson (CA Brive), J White (Leicester), D Wilson (Newcastle), N Wood (Gloucester).

Backs: D Armitage (London Irish), D Care (Harlequins), M Cueto (Sale Sharks), B Foden (Northampton), A Goode (CA Brive), J Turner-Hall (Harlequins), D Hipkiss (Leicester), P Hodgson (London Irish), T May (Newcastle), O Morgan (Gloucester), J Noon (Newcastle), D Strettle (Harlequins), M Tait (Sale Sharks), S Vesty (Leicester), R Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks).

France forwards: T Domingo (Clermont Auvergne), F Barcella (Biarritz), N Mas (Perpignan), S Marconnet, D Szarzewski (both Stade Francais), G Guirado (Perpignan), W Servat (Toulouse), L Nallet (Castres), R Millo-Chluski (Toulouse), P Pape (Stade Francais), S Chabal (Sale), I Harinordoquy (Biarritz), T Dusautoir (Toulouse), J Bonnaire (Clermont-Auvergne), F Ouedraogo, L Picamoles (both Montpellier).

Backs: M Parra (Bourgoin), J Dupuy (Leicester), F Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), D Skrela, Y Jauzion, F Fritz (all Toulouse), M Mermoz (Perpignan), D Traille (Biarritz), M Bastareaud (Stade Francais), V Clerc, C Heymans (both Toulouse), A Rougerie (Clermont-Auvergne), M Medard (Toulouse), A Palisson (Brive).