Woodward has selected a 40-strong elite senior set-up with a further 15 coming from the Senior National Academy and four sevens players.

Newcastles 18-year-old centre Mathew Tait and 19-year-old London Wasps centre Tom Rees have also been promoted from the Junior National Academy to the second-tier Senior National Academy.

The RFUs performance director Chris Spice said: "There are some exciting new faces earning selection to the EPS (Elite Player Squad).

"Players such as Mat and Tom have already made their mark with great performances for England at Under-19, U21 and sevens levels.

They demonstrate how the academy process is starting to deliver.

"Together with the Premiership clubs we now have a three-year strategy in place that will manage the elite programme through to the 2007 World Cup, something that couldn't have been achieved without the continued support of our top clubs."

Elite Player senior squad 2004-5: S Abbott (Wasps), I Balshaw (Leeds Tykes), S Borthwick (Bath), A Brown (Gloucester), G Chutner (Leicester), B Cohen (Northampton), M Corry (Leicester), L Dallaglio (Wasps), M Dawson (Wasps), D Flatman (Bath), A Gomarsall (Gloucester), W Greenwood (Harlequins), D Grewcock (Bath), A Hazell (Gloucester), R Hill (Saracens), C Hodgson (Sale), B Kay (Leicester), A King (Wasps), J Lewsey (Wasps), D Luger (Perpignan), L Moody (Leicester), J Noon (Newcastle), H Paul (Gloucester), M Regan (Leeds Tykes), J Robinson (Sale), G Rowntree (Leicester), A Sanderson (Saracens), D Scarbrough (Saracens), S Shaw (Wasps), J Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester), S Thompson (Northampton), M Tindall (Bath), A Titterrell (Sale), P Vickery (Gloucester), H Vyvyan (Saracens), J White (Gloucester), J Wilkinson (Newcastle), T Woodman (Sale), J Worsley (Wasps), M Worsley (Harlequins).

Senior National Academy: O Barkley (Bath), P Christophers (Leeds Tykes), L Deacon (Leicester), H Ellis (Leicester), J Forrester (Gloucester), C Jones (Sale), T Palmer (Leeds Tykes), T Rees (Wasps), A Sheridan (Sale), W Skinner (Leicester), O Smith (Leicester), M Stevens (Bath), C Stuart-Smith (Worcester), M Tait (Newcastle), T Voyce (Wasps).

Sevens: P Dowson (Newcastle), R Haughton (Saracens), U Monye (Harlequins), P Sanderson (Worcester).