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England name two new caps to start, include three more on the bench
By Liam Heagney
Steve Borthwick has named an England team to take on Italy this Saturday in the Guinness Six Nations that has eight changes – including two new caps – from the XV agonisingly beaten by South Africa at the Rugby World Cup.
The English, who eventually finished third at the finals with a win over Argentina, lost out 15-16 in their Paris semi-final and 15 weeks on from that disappointment versus the Springboks, a much-changed starting team has been confirmed for Rome.
Rookies Fraser Dingwall and Ethan Roots have been chosen to respectively start at inside centre and blindside, and there are three more newcomers in line for debut caps off the bench as back-rower Chandler Cunningham-South, out-half Fin Smith and winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso have all been included.
There are also backline recalls for Tommy Freeman and Henry Slade, two players who failed to make the cut for the World Cup squad.
Full-back Freddie Steward, left winger Elliot Daly and scrum-half Alex Mitchell, who has shaken off an infected leg wound, are the three repeat starters from the Stade de France semi-final, with George Ford promoted from the bench to start at out-half in place of Owen Farrell, who is on a Test sabbatical ahead of his switch next season from Saracens to Racing 92.
In the pack, Will Stuart is named as the starting tighthead ahead of the benched Dan Cole, lining out in the front row alongside Joe Marler and new skipper Jamie George.
The second row partnership will be Maro Itoje and Ollie Chessum, while the debut-making Roots is part of a back row completed by Sam Underhill – man of the match in the bronze medal final versus Argentina – and Ben Earl.
England have gone for a five/three forwards/backs split on their bench. Theo Dan, Ellis Genge and Cole are the front row cover, with Alex Coles and Cunningham-South the other pack options. Veteran Danny Care, Smith and Feyi-Waboso are the backline reserves.
The message from Borthwick to his five newcomers in the England match day 23 was: “Winning a first cap for your country is always a very special occasion. We are delighted for the debutants who have all worked incredibly hard to get themselves selected in the 23 to face Italy.
“I know Saturday will be a very proud moment for the players and their families. My message to them this week has been to be themselves, to grasp their opportunity, and to play with the strengths and skills that deservedly got them selected to a strong Six Nations squad.
“After an excellent week’s preparation in Girona, we look forward to the challenge of playing Italy in Rome. The Azzurri are a dangerous team, with some talented ball carriers and players who like to find space.
"We will need to make good decisions, keep our discipline, and maintain a level of intensity to our performance from the first whistle to the last.”
England (vs Italy, Saturday)
15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 31 caps)
14. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 3 caps)
13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 57 caps)
12. Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
11. Elliot Daly (Saracens, 64 caps)
10. George Ford (Sale Sharks, 91 caps) – vice-captain
9. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 11 caps)
1. Joe Marler (Harlequins, 88 caps)
2. Jamie George (Saracens, 85 caps) – captain
3. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 33 caps)
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 76 caps) – vice-captain
5. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 18 caps)
6. Ethan Roots (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped)
7. Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 30 caps)
8. Ben Earl (Saracens, 25 caps)
Replacements:
16. Theo Dan (Saracens, 7 caps)
17. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 58 caps) – vice-captain
18. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 107 caps)
19. Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 3 caps)
20. Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, uncapped)
21. Danny Care (Harlequins, 96 caps)
22. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
23. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped)
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Latest Comments
Like I've said before about your idea (actually it might have been something to do with mine, I can't remember), I like that teams will a small sustainable league focus can gain the reward of more consistent CC involvement. I'd really like the most consistent option available.
Thing is, I think rugby can do better than footballs version. I think for instance I wanted everyone in it to think they can win it, where you're talking about the worst teams not giving up because they are so far off the pace we get really bad scoreline when that and giving up to concentrate on the league is happening together.
So I really like that you could have a way to remedy that, but personally I would want my model to not need that crutch. Some of this is the same problem that football has. I really like the landscape in both the URC and Prem, but Ireland with Leinster specifically, and France, are a problem IMO. In football this has turned CL pool stages in to simply cash cow fixtures for the also ran countries teams who just want to have a Real Madrid or ManC to lose to in their pool for that bumper revenue hit. It's always been a comp that had suffered for real interest until the knockouts as well (they might have changed it in recent years?).
You've got some great principles but I'm not sure it's going to deliver on that hard hitting impact right from the start without the best teams playing in it. I think you might need to think about the most minimal requirement/way/performance, a team needs to execute to stay in the Champions Cup as I was having some thougt about that earlier and had some theory I can't remember. First they could get entry by being a losing quarter finalist in the challenge, then putting all their eggs in the Champions pool play bucket in order to never finish last in their pool, all the while showing the same indifference to their league some show to EPCR rugby now, just to remain in champions. You extrapolate that out and is there ever likely to be more change to the champions cup that the bottom four sides rotate out each year for the 4 challenge teams? Are the leagues ever likely to have the sort of 'flux' required to see some variation? Even a good one like Englands.
I'd love to have a table at hand were you can see all the outcomes, and know how likely any of your top 12 teams are going break into Champions rubyg on th back it it are?
Go to commentsYou always get idiots who go overboard. What else is new? I ignore them. Why bother?
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