FORMER Exeter Chiefs hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie will miss this year's World Cup for England in France with a shoulder injury.

But there is a place for Chiefs centre Henry Slade.

England head coach Steve Borthwick, peaking about the absence of the 30-year-old Cornishman Cowan-Dickie, said: “Despite all his incredible work and progress, Luke’s shoulder has not improved sufficiently for him to be considered for selection for the World Cup.

"We wish him a swift recovery and hope to see him back playing very soon.”

The 41-player squad will assemble at The Lensbury on Sunday for England’s first official training camp. The squad, which has a total of 1,519 England caps, includes five uncapped players. The Premiership’s top try scorer, Cadan Murley (Harlequins), is joined by back-row forward and Premiership Breakthrough Player of the Season, Tom Pearson (London Irish), hooker Theo Dan (Saracens), Gloucester's loose-head prop Val Rapava-Ruskin, and No 8 Tom Willis, who finished the season with Bordeaux Bègles.  

But Gloucester-bound back-row forward Zach Mercer misses out, as does Northampton scrum-half Alex Mitchell, with Danny Care, Ben Youngs, and Jack van Poortvliet the only remaining nines. 

Head coach Steve Borthwick will confirm his final 33-man group on August 7.

England play four warm-up matches through August, before opening their World Cup campaign against Argentina in Marseille on 9 September.

"We’re excited to be able to bring a full training squad together for the first time and focus on the next stage of our World Cup preparations,” said Borthwick. “I am pleased with the balance of the squad, which blends experience with youth. “Our preparation camps over the last three weeks have allowed those players who didn’t feature in the Premiership final to start to get physically equipped for a World Cup campaign. “The attitude of the players has been excellent, and I have seen a group who have wholeheartedly committed to what we have asked of them. “We hope today’s announcement is the start of something special for our supporters, who I know are eagerly anticipating the tournament as much as we are.”