TODAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT of England’s squad for the summer tour to Australia and New Zealand is in danger of being overshadowed by a continuing pay row.

The Rugby Players’ Association (RPA) remains unhappy with the Rugby Football Union’s proposed “two-tier” payment package for a trip which includes two Tests against the Wallabies as well as three midweek games.

Members of the 44-strong squad who play in both Tests next month are due to receive some €12,000 more than their team-mates, who have reportedly been offered a flat fee of around €9,000. The RPA believes all players should receive the same remuneration and negotiations have been going on for several weeks.

As of last night, no resolution had been reached.

The make-up of today’s squad could also have a large bearing on England’s prospects at next year’s World Cup. The tour party is big enough to accommodate at least a couple of wildcards, and it will be a significant missed opportunity if the number of uncapped players announced by Martin Johnson does not nudge into double figures.

Among those who should receive a call are Saracens’ Alex Goode, Leicester’s Ben Youngs, Dan Ward-Smith of Wasps and Leeds’ Hendre Fourie, a quartet who personify the type of mix the England management should be seeking.

Goode and Youngs are the most talented youngsters to emerge at Guinness Premiership level in the past 18 months, while the more experienced Ward-Smith and Fourie have the necessary ball-carrying ability to galvanise England’s forward efforts.

Add in Olly Barkley and Dominic Waldouck, both playing well enough to merit a midfield opportunity, and Johnson’s squad can board the plane with a spring in their step.

If, on the other hand, Johnson fails to take a punt or two it will suggest the lessons of England’s final Six Nations game in Paris have been discarded. It would be a misjudgment to revert to safety-first mode for the two Tests in Perth and Sydney.

As France’s English-born defence coach Dave Ellis bluntly put it in March: “They’ve got to bite the bullet and throw a few more young players in because they’ve nothing to lose.”

It is even possible Johnson will learn as much from the non-Test matches. The clock is already starting to tick in terms of identifying England’s optimum World Cup squad, particularly with no scheduled June tour next year.

Those named today in a 26-man Saxons squad will be a long way down the pecking order.