CHANGE OF GUARD AS GEORGE DEPOSES HARTLEY

WHEN Eddie Jones named his last England team of 2018 yesterday, Joe Cokanasiga’s inclusion in the starting XV was expected with so many wings injured — and Manu Tuilagi’s recall to the matchday 23 had just been a matter of time. What wasn’t anticipated was the selection of Jamie George at hooker, ahead of Dylan Hartley. It felt like a watershed moment, even if the head coach was at pains to suggest it was no such thing. Owen Farrell will be solo skipper against Australia, following the recent job-share — even if the line-up had Hartley listed as ‘co-captain’ among the bench reserves. There is a sense the changing of the guard in the squad is gathering pace. Mike Brown is no longer a fixture at full-back. In fact, he is out of the picture entirely, for now anyway. James Haskell and Dan Cole are others in the moved-on veterans category. Danny Care has also been jettisoned, although the scrum-half’s demise may not be permanent. Hartley has been a figurehead for this England regime. A stalwart of the pack and the man driving standards behind the scenes. He was at the forefront of the post-World Cup revival under Jones. But his game time is diminishing. His status appears increasingly precarious. Jones played down the significance of his decision, saying: ‘It’s just how we think the game will go this week. ‘We think that in the first half, there will be a lot of ball in play — a lot of movement. That suits Jamie. We think the end of the game will be more about set-piece, more of an arm-wrestle — and that suits Dylan.’

ENGLAND — Daly; Cokanasiga, Slade, Te’o, May; Farrell, Youngs; Moon, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Lawes, Shields, Underhill, Wilson.