As expected there was no revolution, but Martin Johnson, the England manager, has axed two of his fellow 2003 World Cup winners from his first squad. Mike Tindall and Ben Kay are the biggest casualties from the 32-man senior elite player squad that includes Riki Flutey, the former New Zealand Maori, among four uncapped players. Both Tindall and Kay are in the Saxons squad of 32.

Charlie Hodgson, the 27-year-old Sale fly-half, who endured a poor first Test in New Zealand, does not make the Saxons squad even and his international career looks to be over.

The biggest winner is Josh Lewsey, the London Wasps back, who is recalled after falling out with Brian Ashton, the former coach, and was not included in the Six Nations this season. Lewsey last played for England on the wing in October in the 2007 World Cup semi-final, scoring a try before departing injured and missing the final. The squad includes three of the starting XV from the 2003 World Cup final, with Lewsey joining Jonny Wilkinson and Phil Vickery.

Wilkinson is the only specialist fly-half in the squad, but there is plenty of cover from Shane Geraghty, Toby Flood, Olly Barkley and Flutey. With Tom Rees the only specialist open-side flanker, Michael Lipman, who drops down to the Saxons, may feel aggrieved, but Lewis Moody returns to the senior squad after long term injury as does Harry Ellis, his Leicester colleague. Ellis joins Danny Care and Peter Richards at the expense of Richard Wigglesworth, who was the No 1 scrum-half during the Six Nations, but was dropped after the first Test in New Zealand.

Joe Worsley, Mike Brown and David Strettle are also among the thirteen of the squad that toured New Zealand not in the senior squad.

Flutey, the Wasps inside centre, who was voted player’s player of the season in 2008, does not qualify for England on residency grounds until September, but he is expected to be a key part of England’s backline. Dylan Hartley, the Northampton hooker and Nick Kennedy, the London Irish lock, who toured New Zealand but did not play, are in the senior squad. Jordan Crane, the Leicester No 8, who was the player of the Churchill Cup for the Saxons this summer, is elevated and is the fourth uncapped player in the squad.

Danny Cipriani is included in the Saxons squad, but will not return from a fractured right ankle until the end of November at the earliest. Nevertheless Wasps have nine of the 32 in the senior squad and Leicester have eight, so both will receive the bulk of the money from the RFU. Under the new peace deal clubs receive £146,250 for each of their players named in the senior squad, although with the ‘equalisation policy’ apparently recently agreed by the majority of the clubs, that figure will be effectively reduced to £60,000 per player.

Johnson’s squad will train for five days this August and their first Test will be against the Pacific Islands at Twickenham on November 8, before facing Australia, world champions South Africa, and finally the All Blacks on November 29.