ENGLAND today announced its 32-man squad for Rugby Union's RBS 6 Nations Championship.World Cup skipper Phil Vickery retains the captaincy, however the biggest surprise was the naming of Gloucester and former Bradford Bulls rugby league star, winger Lesley Vainikolo.

ENGLAND today announced its 32-man squad for Rugby Union's RBS 6 Nations Championship.

World Cup skipper Phil Vickery retains the captaincy, however the biggest surprise was the naming of Gloucester and former Bradford Bulls rugby league star, winger Lesley Vainikolo.

The Tongan-born New Zealand league international is currently the Premiership's top try scorer this season.

World Cup winner Josh Lewsey and Vainikolo's fellow rugby league recruit, Andy Farrell, are not part of the squad.

Neither is Ipswich-born Leicester centre Dan Hipkiss, who played for Diss Rugby Club in his younger days.

However, former Royal Hospital School pupil Peter Richards retains his place in the squad as one of the scrum-halfs.

The full squad is:

Backs: I Balshaw (Gloucester), D Cipriani (Wasps), M Cueto (Sale Sharks), T Flood (Newcastle), A Gomarsall (Harlequins), C Hodgson (Sale Sharks), J Noon (Newcastle), P Richards (London Irish), P Sackey (Wasps), D Strettle (Harlequins), M Tait (Newcastle), M Tindall (Gloucester), R Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks), J Wilkinson (Newcastle), L Vainikolo (Gloucester).

Forwards: S Borthwick (Bath), T Croft (Leicester), G Chuter (Leicester), L Deacon (Leicester), N Easter (Harlequins), J Haskell (Wasps), B Kay (Leicester), L Mears (Bath), L Moody (Leicester), T Payne (Wasps), T Rees (Wasps), M Regan (Bristol), S Shaw (Wasps), A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), M Stevens (Bath), P Vickery (Wasps, capt), J Worsley (Wasps).