England Recall Danny Cipriani, Nick Easter for 2015 Six Nations Training Squad

Danny Cipriani and Nick Easter have been recalled by England for the Six Nations opener against Wales, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) has confirmed after announcing the training squad.

Head coach Stuart Lancaster is without the injured Ben Morgan and Ben Foden for the tournament, with Chris Robshaw captain.

Sale fly-half Cipriani has not started a game for England at No.10 since 2008, per Alex Spink of the Mirror, but he did feature on last summer’s tour of New Zealand.

He has scored 144 points for Sale this season, per the club’s official website, and Mick Cleary of The Telegraph feels Cipriani’s recall is deserved. Cleary writes:

“Cipriani is still seen as something of an enfant terrible in the public eye. The rugby eye views things differently. He has been doing the hard yards for Sale for two-and-a-half years.”

Easter, meanwhile, has not featured for England since the 2011 World Cup, but the 36-year-old will provide experienced back-up at No.8 in the absence of Morgan.

Recent rugby union convert Sam Burgess, meanwhile, has been named in the England Saxons squad to face Ireland Wolfhounds.

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.@SamBurgess8 has been included in the England Saxons squad to face Ireland Wolfhounds: http://t.co/IpThh85OdY pic.twitter.com/HU5nUNuu2M

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) January 21, 2015"

England, who have won the Six Nations tournament just once since 2003, per the competition's official website, face Wales at the Millennium Stadium on Friday, Feb. 6.

Italy come next at Twickenham followed by an away date with Ireland. The campaign concludes at home to Scotland and then France. England’s full Six Nations schedule can be found via the RFU’s official website.

There is plenty of talent in the England squad for the Six Nations and we take a look at three who could have a big say in the tournament.

George Ford

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

An impressive end to the Autumn Internationals has placed Ford as the leading man in the No. 10 shirt, seemingly usurping Owen Farrell at fly-half.

Ford performed well against Samoa and Australia in the autumn after missing the New Zealand tour to undergo a shoulder operation, per Neil Rose of the Bath Chronicle.

He now has a chance to cement his place at No. 10 ahead of the World Cup in September and has drawn glowing praise from Chris Hewett of The Independent, who writes:

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Not since Stuart Barnes, perhaps the most influential English club player of the last 30 years, was bending all rugby life to his will at the Recreation Ground during Bath’s golden decade at the end of the amateur era, has a red-rose outside-half offered so complete a range of skills.

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Billy Twelvetrees

Twelvetrees is currently the man in possession of the No. 12 jersey after starting England’s last game against Australia.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

But the Gloucester man is aware of the competition for that role, per Donald McRae of the Guardian, saying: “It’s such a hotly contested position, much more than even last season. There’s a huge prize in the World Cup.”

The likes of Brad Barritt, Luther Burrell and Kyle Eastmond are other contenders for the job, but Twelvetrees has the natural talent to make the shirt his own.

He just needs to gradually eradicate the type of errors which saw him dropped during the tour of New Zealand last summer.

Billy Vunipola

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With Ben Morgan missing the Six Nations due to injury, there is a chance for someone to stake a claim for the No. 8 shirt ahead of the World Cup.

Vunipola will be hoping he can be the man to grab that opportunity.

He endured a frustrating Autumn International series after being dropped for the game against Samoa, per the BBC, and then missing the Australia clash with concussion.

But his performance against Munster at the weekend was described as “phenomenal” by Saracens’ rugby director Mark McCall, as reported by the Press Association via London 24. That sort of display puts him in pole position to start against Wales.

Lancaster has picked a squad which contains both experience and plenty of exuberant youth. There is also a heap of natural rugby talent to call upon.

The test for both Lancaster and the players is to now harness that talent into a cohesive team unit capable of winning the Six Nations again.

The last time England won the tournament was also in a World Cup year in 2011, and lifting the Six Nations would be the ideal preparation for what’s to come later in the year.