England XV team: Steve Borthwick names five uncapped men for France XV showdown as key captaincy decision made
Steve Borthwick (right) has named his 23-man England XV squad to face France, with George Ford (left) leading the side
England head coach Steve Borthwick has named five uncapped players in his 23-man squad to face France XV this Friday night in Vannes, with Benhard Janse van Rensburg among them.
Elsewhere, Sale Sharks fly-half and Test centurion George Ford will lead the side into battle at fly-half, with Borthwick naming a strong group around the uncapped quintet.
Players from PREM Rugby finalists Northampton Saints and Exeter Chiefs were not available for selection.
Five uncapped players in England XV team as George Ford named captain
Of the uncapped men, Noah Caluori and George Kloska feature in the starting XV, while Vilikesa Sela, Jack Kenningham and the aforementioned Janse van Rensburg make the replacements list.
Marcus Smith gets the nod at 15 for the trip to Vannes, with Cadan Murley joining Caluori on the wing. Max Ojomoh and Seb Atkinson form an exciting centre pairing, while captain Ford is joined by Harry Randall at scrum-half.
Alex Dombrandt, Tom Curry and Ted Hill form the back-row unit, with George Martin and Charlie Ewels named as the lock pairing. Kloska joins Theo Dan and Asher Opoku-Fordjour in the front-row, with the Sale man named at loosehead for an England side for the first time since England A’s meeting against Australia in November 2024.
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England have also opted for a five/three split on the bench, with Jamie Blamire, Beno Obano, Nick Isiekwe joining Kenningham as the forward options with Raffi Quirke, Janse van Rensburg and Adam Radwan the backs.
Commenting on his selection, Borthwick said: “We’re looking forward to an exciting challenge against a strong French team in what will be a demanding fixture.
“I’m eager to see this group get out there and show what they’re capable of. It’s a great opportunity to keep developing our game in the lead-up to the forthcoming Nations Championship.”
The uncapped fixture kicks off England’s summer campaign, and serves as a warm-up ahead of their Nations Championship Tests against the Springboks, Fiji and Argentina in July.
England XV team v France XV in full
Starting XV: 15 Marcus Smith, 14 Noah Caluori, 13 Max Ojomoh, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Cadan Murley, 10 George Ford (c), 9 Harry Randall, 8 Alex Dombrandt, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Ted Hill, 5 George Martin, 4 Charlie Ewels, 3 George Kloska, 2 Theo Dan, 1 Asher Opoku-Fordjour
Replacements: 16 Jamie Blamire, 17 Beno Obano, 18 Vilikesa Sela, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Jack Kenningham, 21 Raffi Quirke, 22 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 23 Adam Radwan
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