England bolstered by Manu Tuilagi’s return for Six Nations finale against France
Ollie Lawrence and Manu Tuilagi at an England training session.
England head coach Steve Borthwick has made just one change to his starting XV that will face France in the final game of this year’s Six Nations in Lyon on ‘Super Saturday’.
That alteration is an enforced one, as Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was ruled out for the match at Groupama Stadium, which means Elliot Daly returns to the English team.
The Red Rose come into the fixture on the back of a morale-boosting 23-22 victory over Ireland at Twickenham and unsurprisingly there’s consistency in their team selection.
Jamie George leads side
England captain Jamie George once again packs down at hooker alongside vice-captain Ellis Genge on the loosehead and the experienced Dan Cole at tighthead.
At lock, vice-captain Maro Itoje is partnered with Leicester Tigers star George Martin, who impressed after coming into the starting line-up against the Irish last time out.
The back-row sees Ollie Chessum continue at blindside flanker, with Sam Underhill on the openside and Ben Earl at number eight to round off an unchanged forward pack.
Scrum-half Alex Mitchell links up again with vice-captain George Ford at 10, while the midfield combination of Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade remains in situ this weekend.
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In the back three, Saracens stalwart Daly is named on the left wing, Tommy Freeman switches to the right, and fellow Saint, George Furbank, is again selected at full-back.
Amongst the replacements, Manu Tuilagi has been named in an England matchday squad for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup Bronze Final in Paris. The powerful centre joins Theo Dan, Joe Marler, Will Stuart, Ethan Roots, Alex Dombrandt, Danny Care and Marcus Smith to make up a strong and experienced England bench.
“After such a hard-fought win against Ireland last week, we realise how important it is to back that performance up with another similar display in Lyon on Saturday,” said head coach Steve Borthwick.
“France remain one of the very top sides in the world, and will pose a great challenge for us.
“We’ve had a great preparation so far this week and there is a genuine sense of anticipation and determination around the camp as we head to what will be an exciting final weekend.”
England team to face France
England: 15 George Furbank, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Ollie Chessum, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ethan Roots, 20 Alex Dombrandt, 21 Danny Care, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Manu Tuilagi
Date: Saturday, March 16
Venue: Groupama Stadium, Lyon
Kick-off: 21:00 local (20:00 GMT)
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Damian Schneider (Argentina)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
