Get Newsletter

England blood backline duo

England will field new caps Luther Burrell and Jack Nowell in their Six Nations opener against France on Saturday.

And they will be joined by Gloucester wing Jonny May, who will win his second cap at Stade de France, and Danny Care, starting his first game for England since playing Italy in last year's tournament.           

While four of the backline are changed from the team that started against New Zealand, the pack remains unchanged.

England head coach Stuart Lancaster said: "We can't wait for Saturday. We've had a good two weeks and all the players have pushed hard for selection.

"Congratulations to Jack and Luther who deserve their chance, as does Jonny May starting his first Six Nations game. It's also great to see Brad Barritt back with his experience and leadership in the 23, while Alex Goode will give us good cover at 15 and 10.

"We felt the pack went well in November and it's right to leave it unchanged but we have some quality players, including two British Lions in Tom and Mako, to come on.”

George Ford, Matt Mullan and Anthony Watson will travel as cover.

England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Luther Burrell, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Danny Care, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Chris Robshaw (captain), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.

Replacements: 16 Tom Youngs, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Dave Attwood, 20 Ben Morgan, 21 Lee Dickson, 22 Brad Barritt, 23 Alex Goode.

Date: Saturday, February 1

Venue: Stade de France, Paris

Kick-off: 18:00 (17:00 GMT)

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

Assistant Referees: Alain Rolland (Ireland), Stuart Berry (South Africa)

TMO: Jim Yuille (Scotland)

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Chasing The Sun | Series 1 Episode 1

Fresh Starts | Episode 2 | Sam Whitelock

Royal Navy Men v Royal Air Force Men | Full Match Replay

Royal Navy Women v Royal Air Force Women | Full Match Replay

Abbie Ward: A Bump in the Road

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 9

James Cook | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

New Zealand victorious in TENSE final | Cathay/HSBC Sevens Day Three Men's Highlights

Write A Comment