Lions quartet get sevens call-up

Lawrence Dallaglio on Lions duty earlier this year

England have named four Lions in their preliminary rugby union squad for the sevens tournament at next year's Manchester Commonwealth Games.

Jason Robinson, Lawrence Dallaglio, Austin Healey and Dan Luger have all been included in the initial 25-man party, from which the final group will be chosen.

Players selected for Manchester in July are unlikely to be involved in England's 15-a-side summer tour of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.

The Lions quartet are joined by England internationals like Lewis Moody and Leon Lloyd, along with some of the Premiership's most exciting young talents.

Robinson is in the sevens squad

There are places for Newcastle wing Michael Stephenson, Gloucester flyer James Simpson-Daniel, London Irish flanker Declan Danaher and Sale's prolific try-scorer Mark Cueto.

Dallaglio, a member of England's 1993 sevens World Cup-winning squad, has yet to play this season after undergoing summer knee surgery that curtailed his Lions tour of Australia.

With the likes of Dallaglio, Robinson, Luger and Healey on parade, England would hold a realistic medal chance in Manchester.

England boss Clive Woodward has already made public his determination to go for gold.

A selection of players from the 25-man group will also participate in forthcoming IRB world sevens series tournaments in Chile and Argentina.

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Initial England sevens squad: S Amor (Cambridge University), G Appleford (London Irish), M Cueto (Sale), L Dallaglio (Wasps), D Danaher (London Irish), N Duncombe (Harlequins), J Forrester (Gloucester), M Friday (Wasps), B Gollings (Harlequins), A Hazell (Gloucester), R Haughton (Saracens), A Healey (Leicester), B Johnston (Saracens), J Lewsey (Wasps), L Lloyd (Leicester), D Luger (Harlequins), L Moody (Leicester), J Robinson (Sale), T Roques (Saracens), P Sanderson (Harlequins), N Simpson (Pontypridd), J Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester), M Stephenson (Newcastle), R Thirlby (Bath), I Vass (Northampton).