Woodward has selected 29 of the 31 players used during the World Cup campaign in Australia - the exceptions are former captain Martin Johnson and wing Dan Luger, who has been omitted by mutual consent.

"I have spoken to Dan, and we both feel it's best for the time-being that he stays in France and settles down with his new club Perpignan, but he is in no way out of the picture with England and will be seriously considered for the future," Woodward said.

Among those returning to the England fray are Leicester prop Graham Rowntree and Gloucester's Henry Paul, who won his solitary cap as a substitute against France in Paris almost two years ago.

Woodward also confirmed that five players will not be considered for the Italy match due to injury - Stuart Abbott, Mike Tindall, Charlie Hodgson, Lewis Moody and Julian White.

Jonny Wilkinson and Mike Catt, meanwhile, will be reassessed next week, and have been named in Woodward's first post-World Cup squad.

England training squad for RBS 6 Nations 2004:

Backs: S Abbott (Wasps), I Balshaw (Bath), O Barkley (Bath), K Bracken (Saracens), M Catt (Bath), B Cohen (Northampton), M Dawson (Northampton), A Gomarsall (Gloucester), P Grayson (Northampton), W Greenwood (Harlequins), C Hodgson (Sale), A King (Wasps), J Lewsey (Wasps), J Noon (Newcastle), H Paul (Gloucester), J Robinson (Sale), J Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester), O Smith (Leicester), M Tindall (Bath), J Wilkinson (Newcastle, vice captain).

Forwards: N Back (Leicester), S Borthwick (Bath), M Corry (Leicester), L Dallaglio (Wasps, captain), D Grewcock (Bath), R Hill (Saracens), C Jones (Sale), B Kay (Leicester), J Leonard (Harlequins), L Moody (Leicester), T Palmer (Leeds), M Regan (Leeds), G Rowntree (Leicester), A Sanderson (Sale), S Shaw (Wasps), M Stevens (Bath), S Thompson (Northampton), A Titterrell (Sale), P Vickery (Gloucester, vice captain), D West (Leicester), J White (Leicester), T Woodman (Gloucester), J Worsley (Wasps).