Woodward calls up new generation

The senior citizens are still in full-time employment, but the bus passes sitting on Clive Woodward's desk are ready and waiting to be posted. The England manager's 30-man squad for next month's Six Nations' finale against Ireland in Dublin contains a raft of thrusting young red rose wannabes – Ben Kay and Lewis Moody of Leicester, David Walder of Newcastle, Alex Sanderson of Sale – and the moment the old boys fall off the pace, they will find themselves pensioned into oval-ball oblivion.

There is little doubt that the Jason Leonards and Neil Backs will start at Lansdowne Road, always assuming they are fit for selection. But Woodward has made it his business to break up the closed shop as created by Geoff Cooke and open up the élite squad to anyone who happens to be good enough. Matt Perry, Jonny Wilkinson and Phil Vickery were among the first to benefit from this enlightened philosophy, and while they now have international caps coming out of their ears, the next wave of talent is gathering momentum by the day.

Indeed, Woodward has already identified a number of "outsiders" capable of breaking into his Top 30 before the end of the season. Charlie Hodgson, the Sale outside-half, has been invited to train with England next week. "His performance against Wasps on Sunday was one of the best I've seen from an English stand-off for a very long time, and I was tempted to put him straight into the squad for Dublin," the manager said yesterday. Another Sale player, the loose-head prop Kevin Yates, is also in Woodward's thoughts. "I didn't think it would be right to include him now, because we have strength in that position," he explained. "But I am watching him, and I'll make a judgement on what I see."

If Woodward could be heard purring over the form players of the Zurich Premiership, he also embraced those poor souls who could hardly be playing worse. Iain Balshaw, the Bath full-back, was among those who received words of solace and support. "I spoke to Iain on Saturday night," said Woodward, having just watched his prized counter-attacking genius suffer a serious pratfall against Saracens at the Recreation Ground. "I have no fears about him. Form may come and go, but class lasts forever. And believe me, he is a class player."

Balshaw is one of several backs capable of playing in more than one position. Josh Lewsey, the super-fit Wasp, is included; so too, rather more inevitably, is Austin Healey, who could perform any of four roles against the Irish. Given the choice, the Leicester Lip would like to be picked at scrum-half ahead of Matt Dawson and Kyran Bracken. But he is also a live contender at wing, both right and left, and could conceivably find himself at outside-half if England's personnel problems in midfield are not resolved. Both Mike Catt and Will Greenwood are struggling for fitness, and it may be that Woodward will pick Wilkinson at inside centre, thereby creating a vacancy at No 10.

Both Healey and Dawson landed themselves in water of an unusually high temperature during the Lions' tour of Australia in the summer, but Woodward has no intention of prolonging their embarrassment. "They carry no baggage from my perspective," he said. "That tour is history. Who cares any more? Austin has been as good as gold with me, and old headline news doesn't come into it. He knows the situation. He can go head to head with anyone in the world as a scrum-half, and he can do the same as a wing. But that doesn't guarantee him a place in the starting XV. He might be at the very top of his game, but if he is not playing better than Dawson or Bracken as a No 9, or better than Balshaw or Dan Luger or Jason Robinson as a wing, he won't be in."

While Woodward was able to select on the basis of continuity – only the Newcastle centre Jamie Noon, the Gloucester prop Trevor Woodman, and two tight forwards from Bath, Mark Regan and Steve Borthwick, can consider themselves demoted – the Wales coach, Graham Henry, has been forced to mix and match for tomorrow night's international with Romania in Cardiff. Denied the services of five Welsh Lions, Henry has recalled Kevin Morgan of Swansea at full-back, handed Stephen Jones of Llanelli an experimental role at inside centre and given Gavin Henson, the young Swansea outside-half, a chance in the most history-laden jersey of the all: the Welsh No 10 shirt.

Scotland have been weakened by the withdrawal of the winger Kenny Logan and the flanker Martin Leslie from the Six Nations' encounter with Ireland at Murrayfield on Saturday. Logan aggravated a knee-tendon injury while playing for Wasps in the 40-21 home defeat by Sale in the Zurich Premiership at the weekend, while Leslie will be out for at least a month after wrenching ankle ligaments during Edinburgh's 32-24 Celtic League defeat at Cardiff last week.

ENGLAND SQUAD

SIX NATIONS' CHAMPIONSHIP (v Ireland, Landsdowne Road, 20 Oct): Backs: I Balshaw (Bath), M Perry (Bath), D Luger (Harlequins), A Healey (Leicester), J Robinson (Sale), B Cohen (Northampton), W Greenwood (Harlequins), M Catt (Bath), J Lewsey (Wasps), M Tindall (Bath), J Wilkinson (Newcastle), D Walder (Newcastle), M Dawson (Northampton), K Bracken (Saracens). Forwards: J Leonard (Harlequins), G Rowntree (Leicester), P Vickery (Gloucester), J White (Bristol), P Greening (Wasps), D West (Leicester), M Johnson (Leicester, capt), D Grewcock (Bath), S Shaw (Wasps), B Kay (Leicester), R Hill (Saracens), N Back (Leicester), L Moody (Leicester), A Sanderson (Sale), J Worsley (Wasps), M Corry (Leicester).