HALFBACKS:
- 10 Marcus Smith
- 9 Ben Youngs
Monye said: “I started Ben Youngs at No9, who miss out on the summer, Danny Care took that spot. I think having that level of experience and connectivity with someone like Marcus Smith, getting the ball in his hands really early.”
DID YOU KNOW?
- He moved to the United Kingdom at the age of thirteen from Asia and subsequently received a sports scholarship to attend Brighton College, where he captained the school’s 1st XV
- In 2022, Youngs became England men’s most capped player with 115 appearance
FRONT-ROW:
- 1 Ellis Genge
- 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie
- 3 Kyle Sinckler
Dallaglio said: “We’re looking at this pack with a lot of injuries. No Courtney Lawes, so that asks the question who’s going to captain the side? He’s been captain for a while. Maybe Ellis Genge? He’s got some good leadership qualities there. He’s definitely an England captain of the future, he’s the outstanding loosehead and has picked up really left off last season. Fingers crossed for Luke Cowan-Dickie, otherwise McGuigan or Singleton, not a huge amount of experience.
“Kyle Sinckler, taken a little bit of time to get going, not been playing well initially. But I think the benefit of the doubt, there’s not a huge amount. So that’s where I like continuity in selection.”
DID YOU KNOW?
- According to Genge, he was first introduced to the front row by former England youth coach Bobby Walsh originally to have as an additional option but this eventually resulted in a permanent career change
- Cowan-Dickie has previously been dual-registered with both the Cornish Pirates and Plymouth Albion to aid his player development
- Sinckler, who preferred football, states that it was his mother, Donna, who instigated his rugby career.