Thompson said: "I am obviously really pleased to be named in the elite squad and I look forward to returning to England duty. But right now, I am just concentrating on my job at Northampton and Sunday's game against Bristol. January is an important month for all of us at the club."

Phil Vickery has been named as England captain up to and including Rugby World Cup 2007.  The London Wasps prop replaces Leicester Tigers’ Martin Corry and will lead the side into the RBS 6 Nations which kicks off against Scotland at Twickenham on February 3.  

Vickery heads a 33-man senior squad which includes fellow 2003 World Cup winners Jason Robinson MBE (Sale Sharks) and Jonny Wilkinson MBE (Newcastle Falcons) as well as uncapped Bristol No 8 Dan Ward-Smith, London Irish, fly-half Shane Geraghty and Saracens centre Andy Farrell. 

England head coach Brian Ashton said: “Phil is a player of massive experience who has been at the top of the world and he has a great desire to lead England back there again. He showed in the autumn that he is back playing international rugby well and both as a player and a captain he is the right man to take England forward.

“During the autumn Martin Corry handled the captaincy situation really well in what was a difficult period – and I thank him for that. He is still a vital member of the senior Elite Player Squad and we will be looking to him for support and advice in what will be a very challenging year ahead.”

Vickery, who led England to victory against Argentina in Buenos Aires in 2002, said: “It’s a huge honour to be asked to captain England. Everyone knows what a fantastic guy Martin Corry is – he led from the front in a tough autumn when he was getting a lot of stick and I feel very privileged to follow him.

“But I don’t just want the title. I want to be part of a successful team and I am looking forward to working with everyone to create that. I have always got on well with Brian and I have enormous respect for him.

“I am under no illusions about the challenge we all face but it’s also an extremely exciting time. This is a huge opportunity for people to stick their hands up and stake their claim.”  

Ashton welcomes back Robinson, who announced his retirement from international rugby in September 2005, saying: “Jason is another who has won a World Cup and knows what it takes to be at the top of the world game in professional sport. Apart from being a fantastic rugby player, he has outstanding values as a person which will be important to the England team in the coming year.”

A 32-man England Saxons squad, coached by Jim Mallinder and Dorian West, for the matches against Italy A (February 2, Exeter Chiefs), and Ireland A (February 9, Belfast) has also been named, including Richard Hill MBE, who is back playing for Saracens after a 16-month lay-off with a knee injury.

There are six changes to the Elite Player Squad with Alex Brown (Gloucester Rugby), Hill, Robinson, Paul Sackey (London Wasps), Matt Stevens (Bath Rugby) and Ward-Smith replacing Lawrence Dallaglio, Simon Shaw, Mark Van Gisbergen (all London Wasps), and the injured Andrew Sheridan, Charlie Hodgson (both Sale Sharks) and Michael Lipman (Bath Rugby).

The senior squad will train at Twickenham Stadium on January 22, 23 and 24 and Ashton added: “I am delighted to welcome back players like Richard Hill, Alex Brown and Matt Stevens to the EPS squad but I’m sure that those players left out will see this as a gauntlet thrown down to prove that they are good enough to be part of England’s defence of the World Cup.”

England RBS 6 Nations squad

Forwards: Alex Brown (Gloucester Rugby), George Chuter (Leicester Tigers), Martin Corry (Leicester Tigers), Louis Deacon (Leicester Tigers), Perry Freshwater (Perpignan), Danny Grewcock (Bath Rugby), Magnus Lund (Sale Sharks), Lee Mears (Bath Rugby), Lewis Moody (Leicester Tigers), Tim Payne (London Wasps), Tom Palmer (London Wasps), Tom Rees (London Wasps), Steve Thompson (Northampton Saints), Phil Vickery (capt, London Wasps), Dan Ward-Smith (Bristol Rugby), Julian White (Leicester Tigers), Joe Worsley (London Wasps).

Backs: Iain Balshaw (Gloucester Rugby), Mike Catt (London Irish), Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks), Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers), Andy Farrell (Saracens), Toby Flood (Newcastle Falcons), Shane Geraghty (London Irish), Josh Lewsey (London Wasps), Jamie Noon (Newcastle Falcons), Shaun Perry (Bristol Rugby), Jason Robinson (Sale Sharks), Peter Richards (Gloucester Rugby), Paul Sackey (London Wasps), Mathew Tait (Newcastle Falcons), Mike Tindall (Gloucester Rugby), Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle Falcons).

England Saxons squad 

Forwards: Alex Clarke (Bristol Rugby), Steve Borthwick (Bath Rugby), Chris Brooker (Bath Rugby), Jordan Crane (Leicester Tigers), Nick Easter (NEC Harlequins), James Forrester (Gloucester Rugby), Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), James Haskell (London Wasps), Richard Hill (Saracens), Chris Jones (Sale Sharks), Ben Kay (Leicester Tigers), Pat Sanderson (Worcester Warriors), Dean Schofield (Sale Sharks), Andy Titterrell (Sale Sharks), Stuart Turner (Sale Sharks), David Wilson (Newcastle Falcons), Nick Wood (Gloucester Rugby).

Backs: Nick Abendanon (Bath Rugby), Stuart Abbott (NEC Harlequins),  Anthony Allen (Gloucester Rugby), Olly Barkley (Bath Rugby), Michael Brown (NEC Harlequins), Ben Cohen (Northampton Saints), Ben Foden (Sale Sharks), Ryan Lamb (Gloucester Rugby), Olly Morgan (Gloucester Rugby), James Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester Rugby), Dave Strettle (NEC Harlequins), Chev Walker (Bath Rugby), Tom Varndell (Leicester Tigers), Nick Walshe (Bath Rugby), Richard Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks).