 Borthwick (left) was Johnson's captain for the first 20 Tests of his tenure
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England manager Martin Johnson has dropped former captain Steve Borthwick from his new elite 32-man squad.
The Saracens lock was Johnson's leader for the first 20 Tests of his tenure before a knee injury forced him to miss the Six Nations finale against France.
Uncapped Dave Attwood of Gloucester, Tom Palmer of Stade Francais, veteran Wasp Simon Shaw and Northampton's Courtney Lawes are the locks included.
Johnson called it a "very hard decision" to leave out Borthwick.
"He's done a fantastic job for England over the last couple of years and it's the most difficult call we've had to make," he said. "It is very tough on Steve but it goes to show the depth of talent we've got in that area."
Borthwick, 30, has to make do with a place in the second-string Saxons squad, along with two British and Irish Lions - wing Ugo Monye and hooker Lee Mears - and six other players demoted from the senior squad.
Flanker Steffon Armitage, lock Louis Deacon, number eight Jordan Crane, centres Mathew Tait and Dan Hipkiss and scrum-half Paul Hodgson all drop down, while Harry Ellis - who endured an injury-plagued season - misses out on both the squads.
Promoted to the elite group for the first time are Leicester prop Dan Cole and scrum-half Ben Youngs, who have already established their Test credentials, Wasps centre Dominic Waldouck, Gloucester prop Paul Doran-Jones and Leeds flanker Hendrie Fourie.
There is a return to the EPS squad for World Cup-winning centre Mike Tindall, who has made a successful comeback to the Test side, experienced flanker Joe Worsley and hooker George Chuter.
Harlequins wing David Strettle is also promoted at the expense of club-mate Monye.
More to follow.
England elite player squad:
Forwards (18): T Payne (Wasps), A Sheridan (Sale), D Cole (Leicester), P Doran-Jones (Gloucester), D Wilson (Bath); G Chuter (Leicester), D Hartley (Northampton), S Thompson (Leeds); D Attwood (Gloucester), C Lawes (Northampton), T Palmer (Stade Francais), S Shaw (Wasps); T Croft (Leicester), N Easter (Harlequins), H Fourie (Leeds), J Haskell (Stade Francais), L Moody (Leicester), J Worsley (Wasps).
Backs (14): D Armitage (London Irish), B Foden (Northampton); C Ashton (Northampton), M Banahan (Bath), M Cueto (Sale), D Strettle (Harlequins); R Flutey (Brive), S Hape (Bath), M Tindall (Gloucester), D Waldouck (Wasps); T Flood (Leicester), J Wilkinson (Toulon); D Care (Harlequins), B Youngs (Leicester).
England Saxons squad:
Forwards (18): D Bell (Bath), A Corbisiero (London Irish), J Golding (Newcastle), M Mullan (Worcester); L Mears (Bath), R Webber (Wasps); S Borthwick (Saracens), L Deacon (Leicester), G Parling (Leicester); S Armitage (London Irish), J Crane (Leicester), P Dowson (Northampton), L Narraway (Gloucester), T Rees (Wasps), C Robshaw (Harlequins), A Saull (Saracens), D Ward-Smith (Wasps), T Wood (Worcester).
Backs (14): N Abendanon (Bath), A Goode (Saracens); U Monye (Harlequins), J Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester), A Allen (Leicester), B Barritt (Saracens), D Hipkiss (Leicester), M Tait (Sale); S Geraghty (Northampton), C Hodgson (Sale), S Myler (Northampton); P Hodgson (London Irish), J Simpson (Wasps), R Wigglesworth (Sale).
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