Matt Stevens is set to make his first England appearance in nearly three years following a drugs ban after being named in the starting team for a World Cup warm-up match against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.

Prop forward Stevens, now with Premiership champions Saracens, won his last England cap in November 2008 shortly after which, as a Bath player, he tested positive for cocaine and was banned for two years.

But impressive displays for Saracens have seen him make a late bid for a place in England's 30-man squad for the World Cup in New Zealand, which starts next month.

"I have played for England before and I know the honour that it is and I know the incredible feeling that it is to run out at Twickenham or anywhere in the world," said Stevens before England manager Martin Johnson announced the team.

Meanwhile 20-year-old Leicester centre Manu Tuilagi, who comes from a family of Samoa rugby stars, is set to make his England debut on Saturday after being named in midfield for the team's first of three warm-up matches.

"I'm really proud to be winning my first cap," said Tuilagi, voted the Premiership young player of the year last season.

"There is a lot of competition for places and I just want to take this chance and do the best I can for the team."

Tuilagi, whose four elder brothers have played Test rugby for Samoa, will start in a new-look midfield partnership alongside Riki Flutey.

That meant there was no place for Mike Tindall, who played in the 2003 England World Cup-winning side captained by Johnson, following the centre's marriage to Zara Phillips, grand-daughter of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, last weekend.

Johnson's team features several players making Test comebacks.

Flutey, the Wasps centre, and London Irish fullback Delon Armitage both get an England start for the first time since the 2010 Six Nations.

Back-rower Lewis Moody missed this season's Six Nations title-winning campaign with knee ligament damage but was named captain on Thursday of a side featuring Tom Croft at blindside flanker and James Haskell at No.8.

England great Jonny Wilkinson starts at five-eighth with Danny Care at scrum-half, while Matt Banahan and Mark Cueto are the two wings.

Johnson's men also play Wales in Cardiff a week on Saturday before concluding their warm-up campaign against Ireland in Dublin on August 27.

England will be bidding for a third straight World Cup final appearance, having beaten hosts Australia in 2003 before losing to South Africa in Paris four years ago.

England

Delon Armitage; Matt Banahan, Manu Tuilagi, Riki Flutey, Mark Cueto; Jonny Wilkinson, Danny Care; James Haskell, Lewis Moody (capt), Tom Croft; Tom Palmer, Simon Shaw; Matt Stevens, Dylan Hartley, Alex Corbisiero. Res: Lee Mears, David Wilson, Mouritz Botha, Tom Wood, Richard Wigglesworth, Charlie Hodgson, Charlie Sharples.

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