Back can still get back, says Woodward

Neil Back has been handed a potential international lifeline by the man who dropped him, England boss Clive Woodward.

The 66 times-capped Leicester flanker, who celebrated his 35th birthday last month, has been overlooked for England’s RBS 6 Nations Championship opener against Italy in Rome next Sunday.

He is in good company, with World Cup colleagues Kyran Bracken and Martin Corry also omitted, plus experienced Leicester prop Graham Rowntree.

But Woodward does not believe that it is the end of the Test match road for any of them.

“It is a brutal business this, and I have got to be very clear that I am picking what I regard as the best team,” said Woodward.

“I think that it is fair to say we have been looking at Joe Worsley (Back’s replacement) for quite some time, including the World Cup, where we looked closely at him.

“Worsley’s form for Wasps forces him into the team, but that is at Back’s expense. As I said to Neil, he just has not been picked for this game, and I didn’t want to bring him down to training to act just as opposition.

“He has got a lot going on at his club as well. Clearly, he is very disappointed and a bit shocked, but that is the business we are in.

“I don’t think we have seen the last of Neil Back as regards his career for England and that applies to all the other guys.”

Woodward, meanwhile, has appointed Paul Grayson to the role vacated by World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson against Italy.

Elsewhere, Jason Robinson, England’s World Cup final try-scorer, will start a Test match for the first time at centre.

Robinson, Iain Balshaw, Josh Lewsey and Ben Cohen – 63 England tries between them – all make a line-up bristling with pace and attacking invention.

And their combined presence, especially with Robinson, normally a wing or full-back, operating directly alongside gifted England playmaker Will Greenwood in midfield, promises a busy afternoon for the Italian defence at Stadio Flaminio.

“I was always going to go with Grayson for this game,” said Woodward.

“It is an important game for England. It’s important we win and move on from the World Cup, and at this stage it’s important to put it in the hands of people you know and have been working with for the last three months.

“I am very excited about the team. The starting XV are all guys that have been involved with the World Cup, and I expect them to move very swiftly into gear.”

Grayson, 32, takes over from Wilkinson, who will undergo shoulder surgery tomorrow and then faces a recovery period of six to eight weeks.

Although the experienced Grayson made his England debut more than eight years ago, he has never started a Six Nations game.

But with 357 Test points in the bank – only Wilkinson and Rob Andrew have scored more for England – he was an obvious choice, despite the claims of Bath’s Olly Barkley and Wasps fly-half Alex King.

“Paul is the best player,” added Woodward. “And I am very mindful we have had no training time at all since the World Cup, so to throw in Olly Barkley or Alex King with hardly any preparation would be a big call, especially playing away from home.”

Gloucester scrum-half Andy Gomarsall has won the vote over Matt Dawson, whose post-World Cup game time has been severely restricted by shoulder and calf muscle injuries, with Bath captain Danny Grewcock replacing legendary England leader Martin Johnson.

World Cup skipper Johnson’s retirement from the Test arena leaves a major void, but 43 times-capped Grewcock has a similar hard edge and no-nonsense approach required at international rugby’s coalface.

Uncapped Sale Sharks forward Chris Jones features among the replacements, as does Barkley and Gloucester’s former rugby league star Henry Paul.

Paul’s solitary England cap came against France in Paris almost two years ago, but consistently impressive club form this term meant an inevitable recall.