Burgess set to get the nod over Burrell

RUGBY UNION: Sam Burgess is on the brink of inclusion in England’s World Cup squad, but Danny Cipriani has missed out on a place among the final 31 to be announced later today.

Burgess, Luther Burrell and Henry Slade have been competing for two of the four fiercely-contested centre berths and Slade and Burgess appear to have edged out Huddersfieldborn Burrell.

England hinted strongly last week that Burgess will be involved and all but wrote off Slade’s chances, saying this autumn’s showpiece will have come too early in the 22-yearold’s career.

Their thinking appears to have taken a new direction, however, with Slade now back in contention and Burgess and Burrell to battle it out for the role of gainline bruiser as England prepare to reduce their 39-man training squad to 31.

Cipriani mounted a late challenge for selection, but it is believed the utility back, who offers cover at fly-half and fullback, has not done enough to convince head coach Stuart Lancaster.

The 27-year-old’s exclusion comes despite inspiring England’s fightback in the 25-20 defeat by France in Paris on Saturday with a dynamic final-quarter cameo from the bench that saw him voted supporters’ man of the match.

No 8 Nick Easter also performed a starring role as a late arrival at the Stade de France and will profit if it is deemed that picking Ben Morgan is too much of a risk, given he has played only 40 minutes since January because of a broken leg.