England have omitted Marcus Smith completely from their matchday squad to face Australia on Saturday and confirmed George Ford as their starting fly-half. Head coach Steve Borthwick has also named six British & Irish Lions on his bench with Tom Curry, Ellis Genge and Henry Pollock all named among the replacements.
Instead Borthwick has preferred to put his faith in lower-profile players such as Bath’s Guy Pepper, Sale’s Tom Roebuck and Leicester’s Joe Heyes in a side which also has no place for Bath’s Ollie Lawrence or Exeter’s Henry Slade, both midfield regulars last season. Tommy Freeman will wear 13 having been shifted inside from the wing to form a centre pairing with his Northampton clubmate Fraser Dingwall.
Luke Cowan-Dickie is set to win his 50th England cap off the bench but this will be the first England appearance at Twickenham for Pepper and Pollock. “We’re excited to begin our Nations Series campaign against Australia and to test ourselves against a strong, in-form side,” said Borthwick.
“Australia have had four months together, so it’ll be a great challenge for us first up. We’ve worked hard with the time we’ve had, and the players can’t wait to play in front of a passionate home crowd. It’s another opportunity for us to take a step forward as a team.”
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England team to face Australia – in full
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England (v Australia): Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 38 caps); Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks, 6 caps), Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 20 caps), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, 4 caps), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs, 9 caps); George Ford (Sale Sharks, 102 caps), Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 23 caps); Fin Baxter (Harlequins, 14 caps), Jamie George (Saracens, 102 caps), Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 14 caps), Maro Itoje (Saracens, 93 caps, captain), Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 28 caps), Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby, 3 caps), Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 42 caps), Ben Earl (Saracens, 42 caps)
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 49 caps), Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 71 caps), Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 50 caps), Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 10 caps), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 61 caps), Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints, 1 cap), Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby, 10 caps), Fin Smith (Northampton Saints, 11 caps).
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The head coach also hailed Cowan-Dickie’s resilience and competitive edge. “Luke is a fierce competitor who gives absolutely everything every time he pulls on an England shirt. Reaching 50 caps is a reflection of his consistency, resilience and commitment to the team over many years. We couldn’t be prouder of his achievement.”
After the Wallaby game England have subsequent home fixtures against Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina, respectively.
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