Marcus Smith returns for England as young star earns first Test start against Ireland

Jared Wright 07 Mar 2024 6:22 PM

England head coach Steve Borthwick has named his team to tackle the double Grand Slam chasers, Ireland, at Twickenham on Saturday.

Borthwick has made three alterations to his starting line-up from the team that fell to defeat at the hands of Scotland in the Calcutta Cup.

Exeter Chiefs winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso will earn his first Test start for the Red Rose while scrum-half Alex Mitchell and forward George Martin return to the starting XV.

There are further changes on the bench as Marcus Smith returns from injury to take his place amongst the replacements and he is joined by Harlequins teammate Alex Dombrandt, who is in line for his first Test appearance of 2024.

Borthwick’s changes to face Ireland

Feyi-Waboso’s inclusion in the starting XV means that Elliot Daly drops to the bench with George Furbank retained at full-back over Freddie Steward, with Tommy Freeman earning a fourth successive start on the other wing.

Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade are retained as the starting centres, with George Ford and Mitchell at fly-half and scrum-half, respectively.

Ben Earl packs down in the number eight jumper once again but there is a change in the back-row as Ethan Roots drops out of the matchday squad with Ollie Chessum shifting from lock to blindside flanker to fill the void. Sam Underhill is retained as the starting openside flanker.

Maro Itoje now partners Martin in the second-row with the front-row of Ellis Genge (loosehead prop), captain Jamie George (hooker) and Dan Cole starting once again.

Danny Care raises the bat

There is a significant milestone on the bench as Danny Care will become England’s sixth male Test centurion when he enters the fray to earn his 100th Test cap.

The England boss paid tribute to Care, saying: “I’d like to pay special tribute to Danny Care who will win his 100th cap at Twickenham on Saturday. Danny has been a tremendous servant to English rugby and reaching this milestone is an incredible achievement.

“He’s a wonderful player and someone who always puts the team first. I’m sure Saturday will an emotional and memorable day for Danny and his family, and the team couldn’t be prouder of his accomplishment.”

Joining Care on the bench is clubmate Marcus Smith who replaces Fin Smith with Daly rounding out the backline cover.

Theo Dan, Joe Marler, and Will Stuart will cover the front row with Chandler Cunningham-South and Dombrandt the other forward replacements.

On his team selection, Borthwick added: “As always, we’ve selected what we think is our strongest 23 to leave us best placed to win the game.

“Ireland are without doubt currently one of the best teams in the world, and we’ll have to be at our very best against them on Saturday.

“We’ve prepared well for what will be another classic Six Nations game at Twickenham.

England team to face Ireland

England: 15 George Furbank, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Tommy Freeman, 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 Chandler Cunningham-South, 20 Alex Dombrandt, 21 Danny Care, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Elliot Daly

Date: Saturday, March 9
Venue: Twickenham Stadium
Kick-off: 16:45 local
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees: Andrea Piardi (Italy), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)