Steve Borthwick has named his match day squad to take on Wales, with the aim of re-building the fortress of Twickenham Stadium. This new look England side are ready for their first home match of the new Rugby World Cup cycle, with minimal alterations made to the squad.
The England head coach has named an entirely unchanged starting XV, from the team that ran out victorious against Italy last Saturday. The one alteration comes on the bench, with Ellis Genge confirmed fit after a problematic foot injury saw him withdraw in Rome during England’s warm-up preparations. Genge replaces Bath prop Beno Obano on the bench, with Joe Marler once again picked to start at loose-head prop.
ENGLAND TEAM TO PLAY WALES: 2024 SIX NATIONS
15. Freddie Steward 14. Tommy Freema 13. Henry Slade 12. Fraser Dingwall 11. Elliot Daly 10. George Ford 9. Alex Mitchell 1. Joe Marler 2. Jamie George – captain 3. Will Stuart 4. Maro Itoje 5. Ollie Chessum 6. Ethan Roots 7. Sam Underhil 8. Ben Earl
Replacements
16. Theo Dan 17. Ellis Genge 18. Dan Cole 19. Alex Coles 20. Chandler Cunningham-South 21. Danny Care 22. Fin Smith 23. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
5 TALKING POINTS: STEVE BORTHWICK AND JAMIE GEORGE SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT PRESS CONFERENCE – ENGLAND VS WALES 2024 SIX NATIONS
1. ENGLAND INJURY UPDATES
STEVE BORTHWICK: “George Martin looks very good and is making really excellent progress. Manu (Tuilagi) progresses well. Ollie Lawrence is doing a session tomorrow with our medical team but has been with the squad this week. He is making progress. With both those guys it’s about monitoring them on a weekly basis. As we start to get closer to their return we’ll get a bit more work into them.
“Marcus (Smith) will come back in to continue his recovery with us in the latter parts of next week. Hopefully he will be available in the latter part of the tournament.”
2. UNCHANGED STARTING XV – FIRST TIME IN 5 YEARS
STEVE BORTHWICK: “A number of reasons (why). Most importantly is that in many ways while last weekend’s performance was far from perfect, it was a promising start. It was a really promising start from the less experienced guys and the younger guys.
“There’s a blend of leadership and experience led by this man next to me. It’s important to keep that blend and build cohesion and continuity. The players will get better and better the more they are playing together.”
3. JAMIE GEORGE’S FIRST EXPERIENCE AS ENGLAND CAPTAIN (AGAINST ITALY)
JAMIE GEORGE: “I learned a lot. The thing I need to make sure I keep doing is keep, using the guys around me. I’ve been so lucky and blessed to have the likes of Ellis Genge, Maro Itoje and George Ford running the team.
“Been impressed as well with guys who haven’t been as vocal previously, Sam Underhill and Henry Slade have really stepped up into leadership roles and I’d be stupid not to keep picking their brains and using them, especially on the field.”