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Stevens makes RWC squad

London - Prop Matt Stevens completed a remarkable comeback from a two-year drugs ban to make England's 45-man Rugby World Cup training squad on Monday, along with five uncapped players.

Stevens, whose last appearance for England came in November 2008, returned to action in January with English club Saracens following a suspension for cocaine use.

His team didn't lose a game for the rest of the season and he played all three matches for England Saxons - the country's second-string side - in their tournament victory in the recent Churchill Cup.

Centre Manu Tuilagi, No 8 Thomas Waldrom and lock Mouitz Botha, who were born in Samoa, New Zealand and South Africa respectively, were three of the uncapped players called up by coach Martin Johnson, together with scrum half Joe Simpson and winger Charlie Sharples.

The enlarged preliminary squad will be whittled down to 30 names on August 22 ahead of the World Cup, which begins in New Zealand starting September 9. England won the tournament in 2003 and lost narrowly to South Africa in the 2007 final.

"Every one of these players has the chance to be in that final 30 going to New Zealand," Johnson said. "The camp is going to be intense and competitive, as you would expect leading up to a World Cup, but all the players are ready for it.

"A lot of players ... won't have experienced a World Cup training camp. It's now up to all of them to set down their marker over the next 10 weeks before we head to New Zealand."

The 28-year-old Stevens has been capped 32 times by England, and started the 2007 final in Paris.

He played a large part in Saracens' run to a first English title this season and impressed for the Saxons in the Churchill Cup over the past fortnight.

Tuilagi, a powerful 20-year-old Leicester center, has just completed a five-week ban for punching Chris Ashton - who will accompany him in the England training camp - in an domestic fixture. Four of his brothers are current or former Samoa internationals.

Waldrom, nicknamed "Thomas the Tank," qualifies to play for England after discovering his grandmother was born in the country, while Botha qualifies on residency grounds.

England squad:

Forwards: Mouritz Botha, George Chuter, Dan Cole, Alex Corbisiero, Tom Croft, Louis Deacon, Paul Doran-Jones, Nick Easter, Hendre Fourie, Dylan Hartley, James Haskell, Courtney Lawes, Lee Mears, Lewis Moody, Tom Palmer, Tim Payne, Chris Robshaw, Simon Shaw, Andrew Sheridan, Matt Stevens, Steve Thompson, Thomas Waldrom, David Wilson, Tom Wood, Joe Worsley

Backs: Delon Armitage, Chris Ashton, Matt Banahan, Danny Care, Mark Cueto, Toby Flood, Riki Flutey, Ben Foden, Shontayne Hape, Charlie Hodgson, Ugo Monye, Charlie Sharples, Joe Simpson, James Simpson-Daniel, David Strettle, Mike Tindall, Manusamoa Tuilagi, Richard Wigglesworth, Jonny Wilkinson, Ben Youngs

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