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Rugby World Cup: England head coach Stuart Lancaster names 45-man squad for Denver training camp

Last year's Junior World Cup-winning captain Maro Itoje is among those to miss out on the trip

[Stuart Lancaster dejected after the final whistle]

Trimming down: Lancaster has sent four players home(Image: Reuters)

England have cut a World Cup-winning captain after making their first reduction to the squad preparing for this autumn's tournament.

Maro Itoje, who led their Under-20s to global glory a year ago, is the prodigiously talented 20-year-old lock-cum-flanker who helped Saracens become English champions in May.

He is also one of four players omitted by Stuart Lancaster, who has whittled his squad down to 45 ahead of this weekend's departure for a mile-high altitude training camp in Denver.

Northampton fly-half Stephen Myler joins Itoje on the road to nowhere, along with Leicester captain Ed Slater and Wasps centre Elliot Daly.

[0_Itoje.jpg]

Cut: Maro Itoje has not made the 45-man squad

The removal of Myler, who has been dogged by an inflamed patella tendon, means Lancaster is standing by one of his other No.10s Danny Cipriani, for the time being at least.

The Sale star was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving in the early hours of the morning after the final game of the season but a decision on whether he faces any police charge will not be known until next month.

Nick Easter, a veteran of the last two World Cup campaigns, has a back strain and is likely to miss the Denver trip but remain a member of the squad.

The squad in full

• Chris Ashton (Saracens)
• Dave Attwood (Bath Rugby)
• Brad Barritt (Saracens)
• Kieran Brookes (Northampton Saints)
• Mike Brown (Harlequins)
• Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints)
• Sam Burgess (Bath Rugby)
• Danny Care (Harlequins)
• Danny Cipriani (Sale Sharks)
• Calum Clark (Northampton Saints)
• Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
• Alex Corbisiero (Northampton Saints)
• Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs)
• Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints)
• Kyle Eastmond (Bath Rugby)
• Owen Farrell (Saracens)
• George Ford (Bath Rugby)
• Alex Goode (Saracens)
• Jamie George (Saracens)
• James Haskell (Wasps)
• Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby)
• Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints)
• Joe Launchbury (Wasps)
• George Kruis (Saracens)
• Matt Kvesic (Gloucester Rugby)
• Joe Marler (Harlequins)
• Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby)
• Ben Morgan (Gloucester Rugby)
• Matt Mullan (Wasps)
• Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs)
• Geoff Parling (Exeter Chiefs)
• Chris Robshaw (Harlequins)
• Semesa Rokoduguni (Bath Rugby)
• Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
• Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby)
• Mako Vunipola (Saracens)
• Billy Vunipola (Saracens)
• Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby)
• Rob Webber (Bath Rugby)
• Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens)
• David Wilson (Bath Rugby)
• Tom Wood (Northampton Saints)
• Marland Yarde (Harlequins)
• Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
• Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers)

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