Bagshot — England fullback Marcus Smith and flyhalf Fin Smith have been recalled among seven changes to the team to face Fiji on Saturday, with captain Maro Itoje having the rare experience of starting on the bench.
Marcus Smith, who missed out on last week’s 25-7 victory over Australia, replaces the injured Freddie Steward, while Fin Smith comes in for George Ford, who is not included in the match 23 named by Steve Borthwick on Thursday.
Tommy Freeman moves from outside centre to the right wing in place of the injured Tom Roebuck, allowing the return of Ollie Lawrence at 13.
In the pack, the versatile Chandler Cunningham-South comes in at No 8, with Ben Earl moving to openside flanker and Guy Pepper retaining the blindside spot.
Prop Ellis Genge will captain the team, with Itoje poised to take back the duties once he joins the fray as a replacement, for the first time since 2017.
Henry Arundell and Ben Spencer are the two backs in a 6-2 bench split.
England beat Fiji in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, having lost to them for the first time at Twickenham in a warm-up for the tournament.
“Fiji are a dangerous team with power and quality right across the pitch,” said Borthwick. “They play with physicality and skill, so we’ll need to bring intensity, accuracy and discipline in everything that we do.
”Playing in front of our supporters again at Allianz Stadium means a huge amount to the players, and the team are determined to deliver a performance they can be proud of.“
After Fiji, England will play New Zealand and Argentina on the following two Saturdays.
England squad: 15–Marcus Smith, 14–Tommy Freeman, 13–Ollie Lawrence, 12–Fraser Dingwall, 11–Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 10–Fin Smith, 9–Alex Mitchell, 8–Chandler Cunningham-South, 7–Ben Earl, 6–Guy Pepper, 5–Ollie Chessum, 4–Alex Coles, 3–Joe Heyes, 2–Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1–Ellis Genge.
Replacements: 16–Jamie George, 17–Fin Baxter, 18–Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 19–Maro Itoje, 20–Tom Curry, 21–Henry Pollock, 22–Ben Spencer, 23–Henry Arundell.
Reuters
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