Bath head coach Steve Meehan says he would not swap Michael Lipman for any of the openside flankers in the England ranks after his captain was left out of the senior squad.

The Bath skipper was a surprise omission when Martin Johnson named his revised 32-man Elite Player Squad ahead of the Six Nations Championship, which kicks off next month.

Johnson opted to recall Leicester's Lewis Moody while also keeping injured Wasps openside Tom Rees as part of his squad – so Lipman will compete with London Irish tearaway Steffon Armitage for a place in the second-string Saxons side.

And Meehan is understandably disappointed for Lipman, who turns 29 on Friday.

"Out of the four No 7s who are listed, England obviously believe he sits in position three or four," said Meehan. "But I wouldn't trade him for any of the others – he is our captain and the sort of player who represents what Bath Rugby is.

"Obviously his position is a competitive area, but I don't know what he does wrong. He's played very strongly for us this season – and in last year's Six Nations he was outstanding for England in France.

"His performance this year in the autumn was also very good and I think he has improved over time. The leadership he has taken on here has sat well with him and helped him. It's disappointing for him, there's no doubt about that."

But Meehan expects a strong reaction from his captain when Bath travel to Newport to face the Dragons in a crucial Heineken Cup Pool Five match on Sunday.

"It must be very frustrating for him – in one week, out the next," said Meehan.

"He has had this seesaw England career when he would have benefited from a run of games – and I am sure he would have shown everyone just how good he is. I'm looking forward to watching him this weekend. I'm sure he'll be out to prove another point."