Farrell, Itoje set for England recall

LONDON: England coach Eddie Jones is set to recall Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje to face Australia after they were included in the initial 25-man squad yesterday.

Farrell and Itoje were both rested for England’s underwhelming 21-8 victory over Argentina last weekend.

George Kruis, who started against Argentina, as well as Ellis Genge and Alex Lozowski, are among nine players to return to their Premiership clubs. Loosehead prop Joe Marler returns from suspension.

England are looking for a fifth consecutive win against Australia at Twickenham on Saturday.

England squad: Mike Brown, Elliot Daly, Jonny May, Semesa Rokoduguni, Anthony Watson, Danny Care, Owen Farrell, George Ford, Jonathan Joseph, Henry Slade, Ben Youngs, Charlie Ewels, Nathan Hughes, Maro Itoje, Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes, Chris Robshaw, Sam Simmonds, Sam Underhill, Dan Cole, Jamie George, Dylan Hartley, Joe Marler, Mako Vunipola, Harry Williams

Wales centre Jonathan Davies faces six months on the sidelines, effectively missing next year’s Six Nations, after being told he needed surgery on a foot injury suffered in the 29-21 defeat by Australia on Saturday.

The British and Irish Lion was carried off in Cardiff after turning his ankle in an awkward fall and adds to his country’s injury woes.

Wales are already without injured captain Sam Warburton and flanker Ross Moriarty. Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb missed the clash against the Wallabies, but are expected to return against Georgia in Cardiff this Saturday.

Meanwhile, Scotland’s new prop Darryl Marfo is looking forward to an almost implausible weekend match-up against world champions New Zealand at Murrayfield just three months after being without a club. The 27-year-old London-born loosehead has had a fairytale rise up the ranks in the last weeks, not long after he considered giving up the game because he “needed money”.

At the start of the season Marfo was without a club after a shortterm contract with Bath ended.

He chanced his luck on Edinburgh needing reinforcements after Allan Dell’s injury on the British Lions tour of New Zealand.

Marfo was effectively only fourth-choice behind Dell, Alasdair Dickinson and Rory Sutherland and then found himself even lower in the pecking order when Italian loosehead Michele Rizzo arrived from Leicester Tigers on loan a month later. But injuries to the first three saw him elevated to the bench and then Rizzo was redcarded and suspended, allowing Marfo to play and make his mark. – Reuters