England squad v Scotland: Steve Borthwick puts faith in Marcus and Fin Smith combination again but makes one change for Calcutta Cup clash
Steve Borthwick will start Fin and Marcus Smith together this weekend
England head coach Steve Borthwick has made just one change to his starting XV for the Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland, but all eyes will once again be on the Smith-squared combination.
Marcus and Fin Smith started at fullback and fly-half respectively in England’s 26-25 win over France in round two, and Borthwick has kept this spine unit together this weekend against the Scots.
England to start Marcus and Fin Smith together again for Calcutta Cup clash
Elsewhere in the squad, Borthwick has made one change to the 23-man squad that beat Les Bleus last weekend, with Ollie Chessum replacing Leicester teammate George Martin in the starting XV, with Martin moving down to the bench.
23-year-old Martin had been nursing a knee injury in the build-up and missed training last week.
The England boss will be hoping for more of the same out of his backline this weekend, with M. Smith, Tommy Freeman and Ollie Sleightholme all retained in the starting XV. Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade continue their midfield partnership, as they are named at 13 and 12 respectively. F. Smith once again partners Northampton Saints teammate Alex Mitchell in the halves.
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Up front, Tom Willis retains his starting spot again after an exceptional performance against France, and he is reunited with Ben Earl and Tom Curry in a tasty back-row. Chessum joins new skipper Maro Itoje in the second-row this weekend, with Will Stuart, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Ellis Genge rounding off the starting XV.
The bench also remains virtually identical to last weekend, and Borthwick will be hoping Jamie George, Fin Baxter and Elliot Daly will have the same impact this time around.
Commenting on his selection, Borthwick said: “We are looking forward to what will be another challenging and exciting match against Scotland.”
He added: “The Calcutta Cup is a special fixture, and we are determined to perform to our very best in front of our supporters at Allianz Stadium.”
England head into the game looking for their first Calcutta Cup win since 2020.
England 23-man squad to face Scotland
Starting XV: 15 Marcus Smith, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Tom Willis, 7 Ben Earl, 6 Tom Curry, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ellie Genge
Replacements: 16. Jamie George, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 George Martin, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South, 21 Ben Curry, 22 Harry Randall, 23 Elliot Daly
Date: Saturday, February 22
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: 16:45 GMT
Referee: Pierre Brousset (FFR)
Assistant Referees: Andrew Brace (IRFU), Luc Ramos (FFR)
TMO: Tual Trainini (FFR)
