England name formidable team
PROLIFIC KICKER MOVES FROM CENTRE TO NO 10
Owen Farrell will start at flyhalf for England in their opening November international against South Africa after being named in the pivotal position when coach Eddie Jones announced his matchday 23 yesterday.
Farrell has spent most of his England career under Australian coach Jones at inside centre, with George Ford at stand-off.
But it is Farrell, recently elevated to the position of co-captain alongside regular skipper Dylan Hartley who will wear the No 10 shirt against the Springboks at Twickenham tomorrow, with Ford on the bench.
Danny Cipriani, despite being England’s starting No 10 in their most recent game, a 25-10 win against South Africa in Cape Town in June where he set up the match-winning try, had already been left out of Jones’s initial training squad with the coach labelling him a “third-choice” flyhalf.
Elsewhere in a revamped back division, Ben Te’o has been selected at inside centre despite being limited to only 28 minutes of rugby since May due to thigh and calf injuries.
His inclusion has left powerhouse midfielder Manu Tuilagi among the replacements, with the injury-plagued Leicester centre in line to win his first cap since 2016 if he comes off the bench.
Henry Slade remains at outside centre, the position he played throughout the South Africa series in June that saw England, despite that Cape Town win, lose a three-match campaign 2-1.
But there was no place in the matchday 23 for experienced wing Chris Ashton, now at Sale after a spell with French giants Toulon.
Instead Jones opted for Jonny May an Jack Nowell as his wings.
Up front, injury and suspension have deprived Jones of firstchoice No 8s Billy Vunipola and Nathan Hughes so Newcastle’s in-form Mark Wilson has been selected to win his fifth cap, with Tom Curry continuing at openside flanker and New Zealand-born Brad Shields back on the blindside. – AFP