Land of Hape and glory as Martin Johnson picks Kiwi convert

Chris Jones
13 Jan 2010

Former New Zealand rugby league international Shontayne Hape is the shock inclusion in England's 30-man squad for the RBS Six Nations, which was announced today.

With Gloucester centre Mike Tindall injured, Martin Johnson has turned to Hape, who is playing for Bath after switching codes from Bradford Bulls last season.

But the call-up for the 28-year-old will be seen as a slap in the face for young English centres such as Brad Barritt and Dominic Waldouck and raises the prospect of an all-New Zealand born midfield combination against Wales on 6 February with Hape alongside Brive's Riki Flutey.

Johnson hopes Hape can make the kind of impression Jason Robinson achieved when he switched codes rather than the obvious problems encountered by players such as Henry Paul and Lesley Vainikolo, who failed to make an impact at Test level.

One name missing from the 30 today was Danny Cipriani with team manager Johnson leaving the fit-again London Wasps fly-half in the Saxons squad.

Cipriani is joined in the second team by Shane Geraghty, who was supposed to be pressing Jonny Wilkinson for the No10 position. That role goes to Leicester's Toby Flood, who was one of 12 players ruled out by injury for the November Tests against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand.

The key changes from the squad named last July are Steve Thompson, Courtney Lawes, Hape and Ben Foden replacing George Chuter, Tindall, Olly Morgan and Ben Kay.

Northampton wing Chris Ashton wins his first call-up as a reward for being the leading try scorer in England this season but a neck injury has ruled London Wasps prop Phil Vickery out of the Championship. There will be two more changes on 25 January when final decisions are taken about the fitness of injured props Julian White (hamstring) and Andrew Sheridan (shoulder).

Leicester's Dan Coles and David Flatman, of Bath, will be favourites to come into the squad to bolster the front row if both are ruled out.

Simon Shaw, the Wasps lock, is included although the England medical staff are still waiting for the results of scans on wrist and knee injuries he suffered in last weekend's loss to Leicester. After having to draft in fourth- or fifth-choice players in some positions during a troubled November, Johnson can take heart from the return of key men Nick Easter, Flutey, Lee Mears, Delon Armitage and Flood.

For Armitage, the hard work he put in during a three-month rehabilitation programme following shoulder surgery has paid off.

The back is raring to go for London Irish and England and said: "I feel like I have just done pre-season and I am actually grateful for the rest even though it meant I missed some really big games with London Irish in the Heineken Cup and also the three autumn internationals with England. Now, I feel refreshed and I am hungry again to play and achieve so much.

"I was desperate to be out there for England in November because you feel like someone else is getting any opportunity to take the No15 jersey away from you and you want it so much."

The England squad

Backs

D Armitage (Lon Irish), M Banahan (Bath), D Care (Quins), M Cueto (Sale), H Ellis (Leicester), T Flood (Leicester), B Foden (Northampton), R Flutey (Brive), S Hape (Bath), D Hipkiss (Leicester), P Hodgson (Lon Irish), U Monye (Quins), M Tait (Sale), J Wilkinson (Toulon).

Forwards

S Armitage (Lon Irish), S Borthwitck (Saracens, capt), J Crane (Leicester), T Croft (Leicester), L Deacon (Leicester), N Easter (Quins), D Hartley (Northampton), J Haskell (Stade), C Lawes (Northampton), L Mears (Bath), L Moody (Leicester), T Payne (Wasps), S Shaw (Wasps), A Sheridan (Sale), S Thompson (Brive), J White (Leicester).