New Zealander Hartley Picked As England Turn to Imported Steel

Martin Johnson has firm ideas on how to make England harder to beat and his determination to introduce a steelier edge was immediately clear at Twickenham yesterday. There are no passengers in a reshuffled 32-man party for next month's two-Test trip to New Zealand and the new manager has already warned the All Blacks to brace themselves for a serious contest against highly motivated opposition.

Despite the absence of nine leading players who are either injured or badly need a rest, Johnson has assembled a team under the captaincy of the Bath lock Steve Borthwick that he believes can unsettle Graham Henry's side, starting in Auckland on June 14. The 22-year-old Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley, born and raised in Rotorua, is one of six uncapped players, four of them tight forwards invited to sharpen up England's set pieces.

Apart from their pre-World Cup antipodean expedition in 2003, England have a mostly woeful summer tour record but Johnson, who will be staying at home to attend the birth of his second child, is determined not to send a half-hearted planeload of players off to the southern hemisphere. "It's all about attitude," stressed the World Cup-winning captain. "If we reach somewhere near our potential we're going to be very competitive."

The task has been made slightly harder by numerous absentees, headed by Simon Shaw, Phil Vickery, Josh Lewsey and Jonny Wilkinson. It is felt that the battered Shaw and Lewsey would benefit from a complete break, while Wilkinson is undergoing shoulder surgery and Vickery is recovering from a knee problem. Also on the casualty list are James Simpson-Daniel and Shane Geraghty, both of whom are to have shoulder operations, and the Leicester trio of Harry Ellis, Louis Deacon and Lewis Moody.

There is no place, either, for Lesley Vainikolo, Iain Balshaw, Mark Cueto or Olly Morgan in the senior party or the Saxons squad, to be led by Harlequins' Will Skinner, which will compete in the Churchill Cup in North America. Instead Johnson has opted for 14 backs and 18 forwards, with only one specialist full-back in the shape of another Quin, Mike Brown. The latter looks certain to start the first Test, with his club-mate Danny Care in line for his full international debut at scrum-half.

With the Guinness Premiership play-offs and the European Challenge Cup final still to come, there remains the possibility of further drop-outs, although it is hoped Paul Sackey's knee will recover in time. Question marks also still hover over the midfield; Mike Tindall, one of only two senior squad members from table-topping Gloucester, and Jamie Noon are both on the list despite recent ankle problems, and Toby Flood, who has just left Newcastle, is also involved despite revealing in March that he needed a close-season operation.

In some areas, notably the second row, England are not blessed with huge strength in depth but Johnson has made clear that those who impress in New Zealand will feature in the 32-man elite player squad to be announced in early July, a selection which will identify the core of England's future. For the likes of Topsy Ojo, the elusive London Irish winger, therefore, this is a huge opportunity.

Although there is still scope for pacy youngsters such as Ben Foden, Tom Varndell and Tom Guest to come through, Johnson knows enough about the New Zealand psyche not to take too many risks too soon. "There's never been a bad All Black side in the history of the game," he stressed. He has, nevertheless, seen enough recent Premiership rugby to sense that England are on the up. "It will be very competitive even to make the Saxons squad in the summer," he insisted.

Initially he has plumped for the 28-year-old Borthwick as his captain - he described the Saracens-bound forward as "the obvious choice" - but the appointment may not be for the long term. "I think people always put too much emphasis on who is the captain," sighed Johnson, clearly speaking from experience.

England have also yet to confirm the identity of their new backs coach, with the tour manager, Rob Andrew, and Jon Callard expected to share the role in New Zealand. The ousted head coach, Brian Ashton, has still to indicate whether he will take up the Rugby Football Union's offer to run the national academy.