WORLD Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson has won a shock England recall for next Saturday's RBS 6 Nations Championship opener against Scotland at Twickenham.

The Newcastle fly-half, despite playing barely 50 minutes' rugby in 12 weeks, will be reunited with England's number 10 shirt more than three years since he last wore it.

A demoralising catalogue of injuries and illness - his most recent problem was a lacerated kidney - stalled the 27-year-old's England career on 52 caps.

He has not represented his country since landing an extra-time drop-goal in the 2003 World Cup final that gave England a 20-17 victory over Australia.

But Wilkinson now returns to the fold for Brian Ashton's first game as England head coach, taking his place in a radically-changed team.

Former Great Britain rugby league captain, 31-year-old Andy Farrell, will line up alongside Wilkinson at inside centre, making a union Test bow after just seven first team starts for Saracens since he switched codes.

And Farrell's former Wigan colleague Jason Robinson returns for a first England appearance since retiring from Test rugby in September, 2005, while his fellow World Cup winner Mike Tindall is also back.

England team to play Scotland in the RBS 6 Nations Championship at Twickenham on Saturday.

I Balshaw (Gloucester); J Lewsey (Wasps), M Tindall (Gloucester), A Farrell (Saracens), J Robinson (Sale Sharks); J Wilkinson (Newcastle), H Ellis (Leicester); P Freshwater (Perpignan), G Chuter (Leicester), P Vickery (Wasps, capt), L Deacon (Leicester), D Grewcock (Bath), J Worsley (Wasps), M Lund (Sale Sharks), M Corry (Leicester).
Replacements: L Mears (Bath), J White (Leicester), T Palmer (Wasps), L Moody (Leicester), P Richards (Gloucester), T Flood (Newcastle), M Tait (Newcastle).

What do you make of the squad? Have your say.

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