As you might expect from Martin Johnson, no hostages to fortune, no grand promises of success in New Zealand next month but a steely determination that the first England side with which he has been associated as an administrator will do itself justice.

“You can play a pretty good game against the All Blacks and still get beaten,” Johnson said at Twickenham yesterday, “but if we reach somewhere near the potential of the players we've got, we will be very competitive.”

If not the most ringing of endorsements, it is typical Johnson, who unveiled a squad of 32 that was limited by the number of high-profile players either injured or needing treatment and included six uncapped players. There are enough hints about where he considers that the future lies, but he is not turning his back on the past; internationals in Auckland and Christchurch are no places for developing players and even if the likes of Nick Kennedy and David Paice do not play, they will be expected to make significant contributions in preparation.

Steve Borthwick was the obvious choice as captain, Johnson said, a well-respected and experienced player with the valuable ability to remain fit. The other leading contender, Mike Tindall, has had a grim few seasons with injury and remains under a cloud after damaging an ankle playing for Gloucester against Bath and Borthwick last Saturday; Johnson could not put himself in a position - as Andy Robinson, England's last head coach but one, did - of naming a captain one week and then having to change a few days later.

The list of players either unavailable through injury or in need of rest and recuperation includes two other leaders, Phil Vickery and Jonny Wilkinson. Vickery has been out for five weeks with a damaged knee, while Wilkinson underwent an operation on Monday to clear fragments of bone from his shoulder. Wilkinson's operation was a success, but the fly half will benefit from a summer off.

The same applies to Josh Lewsey, Simon Shaw, Harry Ellis, James Simpson-Daniel, Mark Cueto and Shane Geraghty, all of whom have either had severe injuries relatively recently or are suffering from wear and tear. There is a healthy element of player management in Johnson's approach that also embraces such individuals as Lesley Vainikolo and Iain Balshaw, both of whom hoped to tour but have been contacted directly by Johnson to discuss the work they need to do.

Of the 32, 21 were named in Brian Ashton's 2008 RBS Six Nations Championship squad in January. Apart from Balshaw, Cueto, Shaw, Vainikolo, Vickery and Wilkinson, George Chuter is relegated to the England Saxons, Lewis Moody and Louis Deacon are unfit, while Andy Gomarsall and Mark Regan never recovered form after their World Cup exertions. Four other members of the World Cup squad still playing but overlooked for both squads are Andy Farrell, Perry Freshwater, Dan Hipkiss and Shaun Perry.

“If we come back from the tour with guys we can trust to play international rugby, it puts us in a position of strength for July 1, when we name the elite player squad and the back-up Saxons squad,” Johnson said. Hence the arrival on the scene of a clutch of London Irishmen - Topsy Ojo, Paice and Kennedy - and the new Harlequin generation, of whom David Strettle, Mike Brown and the uncapped Danny Care make the senior squad, while they provide the Saxons with a complete back row of Chris Robshaw, Tom Guest and Will Skinner, the captain.

Both squads will feature in the England XV to play the Barbarians on June 1, a selection predicated on which of Gloucester, London Wasps, Bath or Leicester play in the Guinness Premiership final the day before. The likes of Jamie Noon, who has played for only 30 minutes in the past six weeks, and Toby Flood will value a run but Johnson said: “We have a good idea now of who we think will be in the starting XV [against New Zealand] but it's all about attitude. Playing New Zealand in New Zealand is one of the most difficult things to do in rugby.”

Wales will confirm this morning their squad to play two internationals next month against South Africa, the world champions, while at the same time in London, the Lions will confirm Ian McGeechan, the Wasps director of rugby, as head coach for next year's tour to South Africa. Warren Gatland, the Wales head coach, is expected to be one of McGeechan's assistants, but the support staff will not be named until the autumn.