Stevens back in England frame for World Cup

Matt Stevens took another step on his long road back from a two-year drugs ban yesterday after being named in England’s preliminary training squad for the World Cup in New Zealand.

The 28-year-old Saracens prop, who only returned to rugby in January after serving his lengthy suspension for testing positive for cocaine in 2009, was among the most notable names in manager Martin Johnson’s 45-strong group.

South African-born Stevens won the last of his 32 England caps in November 2008 before his failed drugs test left his promising career in tatters.

However, the powerful front row has enjoyed a successful return to rugby this season, and remarkably has not been on a losing team either for champions Saracens or for the England Saxons representative side.

Stevens was outstanding in the Saxons recent Churchill Cup campaign, which concluded with a 37-6 victory over Canada at the weekend, and now seems to be firmly in the frame for a final place in Johnson’s World Cup squad.

Other notable inclusions in the squad include Leicester’s 20-year-old Samoan-born centre Manu Tuilagi.

Tuilagi’s five elder brothers have all played international rugby for Samoa, but the Leicester youngster opted to play for England after moving to the country as a schoolboy.

Tuilagi’s inclusion gives Johnson a wider range of options at centre, where the existing partnership of Shontayne Hape and Mike Tindall was criticised this season for a perceived lack of creativity.