Rugby: England cut seven from Cup training squad

England head coach Stuart Lancaster. Photo Reuters
England head coach Stuart Lancaster. Photo Reuters
Saracens winger Chris Ashton was one of seven players cut from England's World Cup training squad after head coach Stuart Lancaster trimmed his side to 39 players.

Fellow wingers Marland Yarde (Harlequins) and Semesa Rokoduguni (Bath) also miss out, along with scrum-half Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints) and centre Kyle Eastmond (Bath).

Wasps prop Matt Mullan and Gloucester flanker Matt Kvesic are the two forwards dropped following England's return from a two-week training camp in Denver.

"It has been difficult to narrow down the squad as everyone has contributed and given their all," Lancaster told the RFU website.

"But what I have said to those guys who are not coming back in on Sunday is that the door is not closed by any means.

"Overall we are in good shape. Nick Easter and Ben Morgan are now fit and we want to give them both opportunities to train fully and prove their form and fitness next week."

England play the first of three World Cup warm-up games when they face France at Twickenham on Aug. 15.

The final 31-man squad has to be named by Aug. 31 before the World Cup starts at Twickenham on Sept. 18 when England play Fiji.

England training squad

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), Nick Easter (Harlequins), 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), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby), Ben Morgan (Gloucester Rugby), Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs), Geoff Parling (Exeter Chiefs), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), 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), Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers), Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers). (Reporting By Michael Hann, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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