RUGBY WORLD CUP: While Dursley’s Morgan celebrates, it is agony for Gloucester

This should have been Cipriani’s World Cup – he only had one shot at it. He’ll be 31 by the time the next one comes around.

But the Sale playmaker has vowed to stay fit and ready if called upon by his country.

Number eight 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.

“Burgess’s inclusion was always expected given the investment the England management has put in him since his switch from rugby league, but it is still a highly controversial call”.

He and the other seven players to have missed the cut yesterday will remain on stand-by in case of injury.

“It was tough, in all sorts of ways really, going back to the emotional connection with someone you have developed as an academy player and you have worked with since he was 15 years old”, Lancaster said.

“It’s tough on Danny, he’s a good player”.

Lancaster said: “It’s really positive that we have such depth and options to choose from”.

“I mean, you have two warm up games and you try and give everyone an opportunity and that is the way that we did the selection in the manner that we did”.

“It is about balance”, Lancaster added.

Today however, many outlets have reported that he has not done enough in Lancaster’s eyes to merit inclusion.

Vickery was part of England’s World Cup-winning squad in 2003 and he finished his worldwide career with 78 caps, including five for the British and Irish Lions.

Easter went to social media to Tweet: “Absolutely gutted not to make the squad”. “Selection is an art, not a science, even if I do get an array of stats at the end of each and every training session”, Lancaster said. I thoroughly enjoyed the camp and fully understand the route the coaches have gone down.

“‘I wouldn’t say it’s a risk”, Lancaster said. I can not think of a time when he hasn’t played well. It’s just the start of my journey. Full of world-class players!

Prior to his horror setback, Morgan was making waves as England’s first-choice No. 8, superseding Vunipola in the England pecking order, a rich vein of form he’s hoping to regain in time for the World Cup kick-off. “Let’s be proud Englishmen and back it!”

Danny Cipriani is very unfortunate not to be picked. There’s no doubt he lifted players in that dressing room before that France game, he lifted them during the game. I can understand why they’d take Burgess but he wouldn’t be in my 31.

Props: K Brookes, D Cole, J Marler, M Vunipola, D Wilson.

The 22-year-old is also hoping for good news on Thursday afternoon; although all indications suggest that Saracens hooker Jamie George will be selected ahead of him.

Locks: Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes, Geoff Parling, George Kruis.

“We Ben Youngs at Leicester, Billy at Gloucester, Tom Wood and Callum Clark at Northampton, the more the better”.

He will now battle Brad Barritt, Jonathan Joseph and Henry Slade for a spot in England’s match-day squad in next month’s World Cup opener against Fiji.