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England will face Ireland at Twickenham in their second round of the Fall Nations Cup on Saturday (3pm); flanks Tom Curry and Sam Underhill return, as are props Mako Vunipola and Kyle Sinckler; Maro Itoje returns to the second row; the bottom line hasn’t changed while George Ford returns to the bench
By Michael Cantillon @mike_cantillon
Last Updated: 11/19/20 12:35 pm
Tom Curry starts for England as one of four changes to his test with Ireland
England head coach Eddie Jones has made four changes to his squad to face Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday in the Fall Nations Cup, with flanks Tom Curry and Sam Underhill returning.
Sale Sharks wing Curry and Bath full back Underhill were key components for the England team that advanced to the final of the Rugby World Cup in Japan last year. As a result, Jack Willis of the Wasps and Charlie Ewels of the second row of Bath leave the team entirely, with Maro Itoje moving from the blind side to blocking position.
Sam Underhill also starts again on the openide flank
Elsewhere, Jones has promoted first-pick mainstays Mako Vunipola and Kyle Sinckler back to starting XV, with Ellis Genge and Will Stuart falling to the bench.
Mako Vunipola (pictured) and Kyle Sinckler return as loose head and closed head respectively
The bottom line remains unchanged since England’s 40-0 win over Georgia last time, with Jonathan Joseph declared fit to start on the wing again despite having a back spasm last week.
Worcester center Ollie Lawrence maintains his spot outside center in just his second test start, with Exeter’s Henry Slade as a midfield partner.
Experienced intermediate George Ford has returned from injury to take his place among the replacements, with Exeter blocking Jonny Hill as well.
George Ford has recovered from an Achilles complaint to start between replacements
“I picked the strongest team possible for the biggest game of our season,” Jones said Thursday.
“We have the utmost respect for Ireland and their coach Andy Farrell. They have had a good preparation with two wins and a dominant performance against Wales and we will have to be at our best on Saturday.
England head coach Eddie Jones has called Saturday’s test with Ireland the ‘most important of the season’
“We have trained well this week, we are expecting a tough and physical match against Ireland and have reflected that in our sessions. We will try to raise our performance even more and look forward to a really good rugby match.”
England: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Jonathan Joseph, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell (c), 9 Ben Youngs; 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Jamie George, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 Joe Launchbury, 6 Tom Curry, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Billy Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Tom Dunn, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Jonny Hill, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Dan Robson, 22 George Ford, 23 Max Malins.
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