Courtney Lawes will lead England on the occasion of his 100th Test match in the country’s final Rugby World Cup warm-up game against Fiji at Twickenham on Saturday.
Lawes starts in a back-row which contains Jack Willis and Ben Earl, who fills in for the suspended Billy Vunipola.
Captain Owen Farrell is also missing after his ban, which means that Lawes captains the side with George Ford and Ellis Genge the vice-captains.
”Incredible milestone”
Head coach Steve Borthwick said: “We couldn’t be prouder of Courtney on achieving his incredible milestone after 14 years of excellent performances for his country.
“It has been a privilege to watch his journey and witness him develop into a truly outstanding rugby player.
“Not only is Courtney an exceptional talent and an excellent professional, he is also a brilliant role model for young players every time he steps onto the field.”
There are a number of interesting selection calls from Borthwick, starting in the front-row with Theo Dan getting his chance from the outset.
Jamie George is absent from the squad completely – Jack Walker, returning from injury, is on the bench – as Borthwick looks to give his reserve hookers an opportunity to gain some experience before the World Cup begins.
Dan combines with Genge and Dan Cole, who makes his first start this month, while Maro Itoje and Ollie Chessum are at lock.
Behind the scrum, Alex Mitchell, in the 33-man squad for the injured Jack van Poortvliet, is handed an opportunity alongside Ford at half-back.
Jonny May back in
There is plenty of power outside them with Manu Tuilagi and Ollie Lawrence the midfield partnership, while the back three contains Jonny May, Max Malins and Freddie Steward.
May missed out on the final 33 but is selected here, with the likes of Henry Arundell and Anthony Watson not named in the 23 for the Fiji clash.
Frustratingly for England, Tom Curry has not been deemed fit enough to start after his ankle injury, which means that he will have not played a match since May going into the World Cup.
“After another eventful and dramatic encounter against the number one team in the world in Dublin last weekend, we are delighted to be back at Twickenham with our home supporters to welcome an in-form Fiji team,” Borthwick added.
“All of the Summer Nations Series Test matches have provided us with an opportunity to continue our preparations for the Rugby World Cup in France.
“Fiji have proven themselves to be a strong opposition and we look forward to what we expect to be an exciting and challenging game.
“Rest assured that we will be looking to convert the opportunities we have recently been creating week-on-week into points on the scoreboard.
“At this our last Test before heading to France, I want to thank our fans for all the support you continue to give us, and it means a lot to us that you will be behind us all the way on our World Cup journey.”
The team
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Max Malins, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Jack Willis, 6 Courtney Lawes (c), 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Theo Dan, 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Will Stuart, 19 David Ribbans, 20 Lewis Ludlam, 21 Danny Care, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Joe Marchant
Date: Saturday, August 26
Venue: Twickenham
Kick-off: 15:15 BST (14:15 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Pierre Brousset (France), Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)
READ MORE: Reaction: Owen Farrell’s ‘slap on the wrist’ ban and ‘farcical’ disciplinary process
The article Centurion Courtney Lawes captains England in Owen Farrell’s absence as Steve Borthwick picks Billy Vunipola’s replacement at number eight appeared first on Planetrugby.com.
Article courtesy of
Source link
