Starter: Mako Vunipola
England coach Stuart Lancaster had made five changes to his starting XV to face Italy at Twickenham on Sunday.
Mako Vunipola will make his first start for England. The Saracens prop, who has won seven caps off the bench, replaces Joe Marler in one of five changes from the side that started against France.
Danny Care and Toby Flood take over at halfback from Ben Youngs and Owen Farrell respectively; Tom Youngs comes in for Dylan Hartley; and James Haskell is named at blindside flanker in place of Courtney Lawes.
Tom Croft of Leicester Tigers is back in the England matchday squad for the first time in 12 months following his recovery from a neck injury, while Freddie Burns joins him among the replacements as Farrell needs more time to return to full fitness.
"We were very happy with the way we finished the France game. The impact the replacements made shows that we have competition for places across the board and we have had to make some tight calls," said England head coach Stuart Lancaster.
"Italy will be highly motivated for this game and we will have to perform for the full 80 minutes. I am sure those starting will seize their chance and the bench will also have a significant part to play as the game goes on.
"The support at Twickenham for the Scotland and France games was superb and I am sure the atmosphere will be fantastic again for our final home match of the Championship."
England: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Mike Brown, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Danny Care, 8 Tom Wood, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 James Haskell, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Mako Vunipola.
Replacements: 16 Dylan Hartley, 17 David Wilson, 18 Joe Marler, 19 Courtney Lawes, 20 Tom Croft, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Freddie Burns, 23 Billy Twelvetrees.
Date: Sunday, 10 March
Venue: Twickenham
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Mathieu Raynal (France)
Television match official: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Comments
FaceofMatt says...
I see the concern of posters here about Lancaster seeming reluctance to pick new talent such as Vunipola, Jonny May, Burns among others. I shared these concerns until something occured to me.
England may well win the 6N, but to do so Lancaster has to be constant in selection to avoid disruption. So there aren't many new caps.
However, there's a lions tour this summer, where England may be missing 10+ players for their tour to Argentina. If Lancaster is going to be missing his best team for that tour, surely then is the best time to experiment with players like Jonny May and Billy Vunipola? Better than experimenting in a tournament vital to his team's development.
Posted 20:43 08th March 2013
losebomb says...
As an american I watch a lot of premiership rugby due to the fact we dont have pro rugby yet. My buddys are big ireland fans but im a huge quins and england fan, yet we all agree that CHRIS ASHTON IS A BUM! what does england see in this guy? For every 10 things he does wrong he may do 1 thing right. He is selfish, cant tackle and only cares about scoring tries. Please tell me friends, why SL and England fans love this bum? As for lions, his selfishness is not needed. Please gatland make him watch the games at home this summer!
Posted 14:30 08th March 2013
GCP_jones says...
@nubbin...APV1
Nice One for your insights, I suppose its a good problem to have all these players at his disposal. But I do think Lancaster seems to almost contadict what he is trying to do.
I agree with you Nubbin in that he looks as tough he's going for a mobile pack with a good skill-set but sticks with the likes of Haskell/Hartley and a slighly off-kilter back-line which goes against what he's trying to achieve.
Maybe he's adopting the Slow but Steady approach to development of his team. I have a lot of time for the man I have to say.
Posted 13:24 08th March 2013
melkdave says...
Im happy with this 23,lets not forget Italy should have beaten the wallabies in the aurtum,and have beaten France this championship in style.SL and Co arnt taking Italy lightly ,and i hope neither are the players.A tad surprised to see T.Croft back in a test team so quickly,truth be told,i thought he would need a couple more games under his belt to get back to international match fitness .I was also hoping the good weather was here ,but as usual for a british summer rain is forcast .Still hoping its a good tempo match ,and that England are victorious,by 10-12 points.@GCP_Jonesi expect B.Vunipolo isnt in the team yet because he isnt offically in the EPS yet,his time will come in the summer against Argentina,same for C.Wade who needs to work a bit on catching the high ball,and his kicking.
Posted 13:10 08th March 2013
ArmchairGeneral says...
Agree with only changing 5 which made it difficult to get everything sorted in one game. I'd have preferred to hold on Care and bring him on as a start vs Phillips. And instead rest Barritt and give 12 trees a go with Flood. Barrett with Farrell. That would give an all Leicester / ex Leicester 9, 10, 12, 13 to shred Italy. Croft should be 6 as he's just much better than Haskell. A Leicster bias to close down Italy and make the changes less significant. Tom Youngs and Maco agreed completely. Flood; needs must. As Italy is a must win Burns has to wait but bring him on asap if the game becomes a comfortable win. Also I would have rested BB completely. We need a back 3 player not a centre on the bench. Not bothering to say who.
Posted 12:52 08th March 2013
nubbin says...
@GCP_Jones
Part of England's problem - if you can call it a problem - is the depth of talent in various positions, and No.8 is one of those. Croft is a stellar talent, and needs some game time, before he starts against Wales (probably), so Billy has made way for him on the bench. Billy will get his chance though. The only way to accommodate Croft is to keep Wood at 8, where he is serviceable, but his work at lineout and in the loose is outstanding, and makes up for his lack of specialisation at 8. I think Lancaster is looking to build a mobile and athletic pack, not the stodgy England packs of old, and he has the players to do that.
I would also like to see Wade, and possibly Tom May, get a look in - they are both speedsters, and nothing is more scary than outright pace - look at Carlin Iles!
Posted 12:47 08th March 2013
Coshie78 says...
I hope we build a lead early on and replace some of the more battle worn players around half time. Would like to see Barritt, Wood and Cole get plenty of rest for the Wales game...
The Welsh team have a tough match tomorrow, but have an extra day to recover...
Would like to have seen Billy V on the bench as there is plenty of 6 and SR cover...
I hope 36 gets game time with MT, he needs to develop into a leader in defense as we cannot stay reliant on BB forever. At the moment the selections would suggest we are too dependant on him. BB has the edge in terms of tackling ability but it appears to be his knowledge and application of Farrell's system that is so important. What if he picked up an injury?
Posted 12:38 08th March 2013
benski says...
36 benched again!! What does he have to do??!! This seems like a perfect opportunity to let him rip and gain some confidence.
Posted 12:24 08th March 2013
APV1 says...
England by 12.
@ GCP_jones - simply put, the Italians have Parisse and I think we need experience in the BR to counter that. Haskell has performed well and Croft is on the bench and brings his unique dynamism and pace.
As for Wade or Varndell, Biggs, May, etc, no-one knows. SL must see something in Ashton and Strettle which we don't. SL seems to like 2 FBs on the pitch. Personally I'd drop 2Shoes and have Brown and Foden if that's the case. But, as I said, no-one knows.
@ Chinstan - I know what you mean. If 36 is able to run the defensive system, we could have him on for Barritt. That would mean we could take off 2shoes, as we don't need him as the second playmaker. Drop Brown into 15 and bring on Foden or a proper winger.
In SL we have to trust, eh?
@ carpelone - which Fijian?
Posted 12:16 08th March 2013
Frooschman says...
@ Carpelone I believe you mean Welshman. We have much to thank Pontypool for.
Posted 12:11 08th March 2013
Frooschman says...
You can see what he's doing. A couple of changes without completely mixing it up. I would have liked to see Davey Wilson get a run as he's in great form right now and I would have looked at Twelvetrees with Tuilagi in the midfield too. Glad to see Ashton retains his place. England by ... 28?
Posted 11:45 08th March 2013
APV1 says...
Pretty darned good, I reckon.
Youngs over Hartley is my only big concern - can Youngs hold his own against the Italian FR?
I'd have preferred Foden at 11, Mr Angry at 15 and TwoShoes dropped, but it's not too bad.
C'mon England!
Posted 11:31 08th March 2013
carpelone says...
Care and Flood are hardly replacements, Youngs is probably ahead Hartley for the # 2 shirt and, while I am not sure who is the frontrunner at # 6, Haskell is better than Lawes at blindside flanker.
The only new prospect is therefore the Fijan.
Sensible selection and respect shown to both Italy and the players, who are rewarded for their performance against France.
Good thinking, Stuart.
Posted 11:31 08th March 2013
99call says...
would expect England to put Italy to the sword and win by 20
Posted 11:29 08th March 2013
rugby_rockstar says...
Very pragmatic. Stu wants the game won before letting the youngsters run riot.
I think this is a big game for Flood, who needs to prove he can orchestrate the english game plan as well as Farrel. There's no doubt that perfromances like the RWC warm up game in cardiff and the noivember matches vs Fiji and Australia have dented his credibility. He's been a little too "headless chicken-esque" in the past. That Cardif warm up game was poor given our absolute dominance. It was alot like of Scotland V Ireland two weeks ago.
Posted 11:11 08th March 2013
Chinstan says...
Mmmm no 8 in the Squad and only 1 proper wing who is not playing well? A bench with a flanker that can play lock and a lock that can play flanker seems a bit of a waste when what we need is an 8? Is Foden still not match fit? I have utmost faith in SL but can't get my head around some of these selections. Would also have thought that this was the perfect game to get 36 some more experience. On the plus side great to see Freddie in there and hope he gets a chance to get on and show what he can do.
Posted 11:11 08th March 2013
jamesliveinhope says...
Although 5 is a third of the side the back line remains intact in terms of continuity which is good.
Flood is enforced, the difference between Care and Youngs is marginal in my opinion with Care arguably the better selection similar with the props. Youngs is better than Hartley, Haskell is better than Lawes at 6.
This isn't squad rotation, its arguably a better looking side than the France game
Posted 11:01 08th March 2013
GCP_jones says...
I would be interested to hear what English supportors think of the omission of Mako's brother at No 8, surely a far better back -row would be T Wood, C Robshaw and B Vunipola?. I just can't see how Haskell is any where near this team. Great to see Tom Croft back though.
How come Chriatian Wade is not getting a look -in is he injured?
Posted 10:59 08th March 2013