RUGBY: Bath's Wilson promoted by England (From Wiltshire Times)

RUGBY: Bath's Wilson promoted by England

6:12pm Tuesday 25th September 2012 in Sport

BATH prop Dave Wilson has been promoted into England's elite squad for the QBE autumn Test series in place of Matt Stevens, who has retired from international rugby.

Wilson, who won the last of his 19 caps against Romania in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, has been replaced in the England Saxons squad by Saracens prop Mako Vunipola.

England open the series against Fiji on November 10 before tackling Australia, South Africa and world champions New Zealand on successive Saturdays at Twickenham.

As part of their preparations for the campaign, Stuart Lancaster and his coaching team will travel to South Africa to watch the Springboks play New Zealand in Soweto on October 6.

England are currently ranked fourth in the world, a position they must retain through the autumn campaign if they are to be one of the top seeds for the 2015 World Cup when the draw is made on December 3.

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