England team: Maro Itoje era begins as Steve Borthwick hands uncapped wing debut against Ireland
Cadan Murley starts on the wing as Maro Itoje leads England against Ireland.
Harlequins star Cadan Murley will make his long-awaited England debut against Ireland this weekend as he is named in Steve Borthwick’s starting XV.
Murley is one of several changes to the last England side that faced Japan in the autumn, but the headline change is the use of a 6:2 split on the bench.
Maro Itoje era begins as Steve Borthwick names strong England side to face Ireland
Freddie Steward has been entrusted with the number 15 jersey for the game in Dublin, two years after his controversial red card at the same venue. Debutant Murley will don the number 11 shirt, with Northampton’s Tommy Freeman completing the back three.
The tried and trusted partnership of Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade once again partner up in midfield, with Slade deployed at inside centre and Lawrence in his preferred 13.
There was plenty of discussion surrounding the positional future of Marcus Smith ahead of the Championship, but Borthwick has once again entrusted him with the starting fly-half gig. He is joined by the fit-again Alex Mitchell, who starts at nine.
In the pack, Luke Cowan-Dickie is selected to start at hooker, with Jamie George injured, and he is joined by Ellis Genge and Will Stuart in the front-row.
Captain Itoje, who becomes the 136th player to lead the national side this weekend, starts in the second-row alongside Leicester Tigers enforcer George Martin.
Completing the starting XV, Tom and Ben Curry will share a Test field together for the same time – becoming the first male twins to represent the national side together – as they start at six and seven respectively, with Ben Earl once again donning the number eight shirt.
Ollie Chessum is a welcome returnee to the bench following his return from injury, and in-form Saracens man Tom Willis also earns a spot as a replacement.
Commenting on his selection, England head coach Borthwick said: “We’re looking forward to the challenge of facing the tournament favourites.
“We know it’ll be a tough contest against a team that’s very familiar with each other. We’ll need to work tirelessly and maintain our discipline from the first whistle to the last.
“England versus Ireland in Dublin is a huge occasion, and we’ll be ready to face it head-on.”
England team to face Ireland in full
Starting XV: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Cadan Murley, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Ben Curry, 6 Tom Curry, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 3 Will Stuart, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ellis Genge,
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South, 21 Tom Willis, 22 Harry Randall, 23 Fin Smith
