Bath lock Borthwick is one of only 13 survivors from England's 2007 World Cup squad who will head to New Zealand on June 2 for Test matches in Auckland and Christchurch.

The list of medical absentees includes established international players like Jonny Wilkinson, Phil Vickery, Josh Lewsey, Simon Shaw and Lewis Moody, while leading tour contenders such as James Simpson-Daniel and Shane Geraghty face summer shoulder surgery.

But Gloucester backs Iain Balshaw and Lesley Vainikolo - regular, if debatable, RBS 6 Nations selections under former England head coach Brian Ashton this season - have been overlooked.

Borthwick, who captained his country against Italy earlier this term, will have three members of England's 50-cap club to lean on for support - 2003 World Cup winners Mike Tindall, Ben Kay and Joe Worsley.

Tindall is back on England duty for the first time since he suffered liver damage and internal bleeding during England's Six Nations opener against Wales in February, which meant he spent three days in the intensive care unit of a London hospital.

But the squad also includes six Test rookies in London Irish trio Topsy Ojo, David Paice and Nick Kennedy, Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care, Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley and Bristol prop Jason Hobson.

And Johnson, who misses the tour in order to be with his pregnant wife, has backed 37 times-capped Borthwick's captaincy credentials.

Johnson said: ''He is very well respected among the squad, an established international player and a very good leader.

''He is a model player the way he approaches the game, and he was a natural choice to lead the squad.

''But lots of other guys have a leadership influence on the team. I think people always put too much emphasis on who is the captain.''

Borthwick, who joins Saracens later this summer, has driven Bath to within three wins of achieving a domestic and European double this season.

And he was on the bench when England beat New Zealand 15-13 in Wellington five years ago, one of only two red rose away victories over the All Blacks from 10 attempts since 1963.

Such a statistic underlines the degree of difficulty facing Borthwick and company, even though New Zealand will be without a growing overseas-based contingent, which means England will not have to worry about the likes of Byron Kelleher, Chris Jack, Doug Howlett or Luke McAlister.

But Johnson added: ''It's all about attitude - the mood of the team is all-important.

''When you play New Zealand in New Zealand, that's one of the most difficult things to do in rugby.

''If we get ourselves organised and perform somewhere near the level we think this squad of players can perform at, we are going to be competitive.

''The All Blacks have lost some very senior and talented players post-World Cup.

''At any time, New Zealand have probably got a world XV playing overseas somewhere, and they've always been pretty competitive.

''They will come back after their World Cup disappointment and they will be very determined to start off against Ireland (on June 7) and then ourselves to reach their performance levels.

''I don't think there is any question of us underestimating the All Blacks.

''It is as tough a tour as you will ever go on, going to New Zealand.

''They have lost a lot of players, but there has never been a bad All Black team in the history of the game.

''They will have a few guys in there who weren't starters in previous seasons, but they will all have international experience and they will be a formidable side.''

Vickery, who is recovering from a knee injury, could return to action for Wasps in the Guinness Premiership final on May 31 - should they qualify - yet Johnson and tour manager Rob Andrew felt it would be unwise to risk him in New Zealand.

But Wasps wing Paul Sackey has been named, despite going off nursing a knee injury while on club duty last Saturday.

Johnson said: ''Phil is trying desperately hard to play again this season, but we felt it wasn't the right call to go on an arduous tour.

''Simon Shaw has got a number of medical issues, as you would imagine after a long career and long, long season.

''We felt it was best if he had a good off-season and got himself in the best shape for another long season next year.''

Half the tour squad will be involved in next weekend's Premiership play-offs - Wasps host Bath and Gloucester entertain Leicester - after which England tackle the Barbarians in a non-cap game at Twickenham.

The line-up for that game is likely to be a combination of players from clubs whose domestic season ended last weekend, beaten play-off sides and a 28-man England Saxons squad chosen for next month's Barclays Churchill Cup in the USA and Canada.

And Johnson, who watched Gloucester edge Bath in a pulsating encounter last Saturday, believes current Premiership standards deserve acclaim.

He added: ''I watched the Gloucester versus Bath game last Saturday, and what a fantastic game that was. You want your players playing in games like that.

''No team really took their foot off the gas, and with the play-offs, teams are playing right to the end of the season.

''In seasons past, sometimes if you were mid-table with four or five weeks to
go, there wasn't the edge in games.

''Now, with European qualification and the play-offs, these guys are playing right to the end. We want them playing in a tough Premiership.

''The quality and intensity of the games those guys have played in would be the envy of some countries around the world.''