Preview: England v Samoa

England will be hoping to finish their end-of-year campaign with a third win as they face a wounded Samoa at Twickenham on Saturday.

The islanders enter this game on the back of a disappointing 17-13 defeat to Romania, with this weekend now looking all the more daunting.

On paper the bookmakers have Samoa as approximately 34 point underdogs and despite their most recent two visits to Twickenham seeing them go down to respectable 19 and 13 point losses, we feel they will be outplayed as an England side that includes changes looks to cut loose.

Much has been spoken and written about the ongoing financial plight of the Samoan Rugby Union and most recently the English players’ call not to donate a portion of their match fee to their opponent. That has divided opinion but everyone agrees it is not a long-term solution.

Returning to the on-field matters and Eddie Jones has once again held Owen Farrell back – he misses two out of three November Tests – with Alex Lozowski deserving of a start alongside Henry Slade. George Ford co-captains with Chris Robshaw, with Charlie Ewels starting at lock.

This is an England side full of running talent, starting from jersey number one as Ellis Genge comes in while Jamie George finally starts. Jones, who knows the majority of his squad for Rugby World Cup 2019, will hope to see some of the remaining names earn ticks this weekend.

“We always want to play better and we want to play better this week. Just because we have made some changes to the team it doesn’t mean we don’t want to play better,” said Jones, who also recalls Mike Brown from injury to his starting XV. “Our intent in every game and training session is to improve and it just so happens that this weekend other squad members get that opportunity to put their best foot forward.”

Sam Simmonds is one player expected to press his claims for a back-row spot to Japan, as he looks to capitalise on Nathan Hughes’ absence.

“Sam has a great opportunity. He is quick and a good ball carrier. He is a sound tackler. We just want to see those things,” added Jones.

While the masses expect a resounding England win, they would be wise to watch how Samoa played against Scotland a couple of weeks ago in that 44-38 loss, rather than the Romania performance. They cannot switch off defensively like the Scots and if they can also back up that ruthless edge they displayed against the Wallabies last week, there is no reason to think England shouldn’t end their year on a positive.

Players to watch:

For England: The promise Alex Lozowski has shown for Saracens and England makes him our one to watch for the hosts. Such a solid tackler who has pace, good distribution and kicking game, he ticks so many boxes and is a must in an England 23 long-term. He will hope to strike up an understanding with Henry Slade at centre, with Slade having a chance to put some pressure on Jonathan Joseph for that number 13 shirt.

For Samoa: Surprised us against Scotland with how he fared in the 10 jersey, Tim Nanai-Williams will need to replicate that performance at Twickenham. If he cannot control the pace and stamp his running qualities on the game then Samoa are in for a long afternoon on Saturday.

Head-to-head: We go to the coalface here and Jamie George going up against Motu Matu’u. George finally gets that elusive England start and will be desperate to show his Lions form that saw him start all three Tests. Meanwhile, Matu’u is an uncompromising hooker whose tackling is sure to make the Twickenham crowd wince this weekend. He will be asked to give his side momentum in defence and will no doubt deliver.

Previous results:

2014: England won 28-9 at Twickenham
2010: England won 26-13 at Twickenham
2007: England 44-22 in Nantes
2005: England won 40-3 at Twickenham
2003: England won 35-22 in Melbourne
1995: England won 27-9 at Twickenham
1995: England won 44-22 in Durban

Prediction: Home win here and with the personnel on the field we expect it to be an open clash, weather permitting. England by 25 points.

The teams:

England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Jonny May, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Alex Lozowski, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 George Ford (cc), 9 Danny Care, 8 Sam Simmonds, 7 Chris Robshaw (cc), 6 Maro Itoje, 5 Charlie Ewels, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Dylan Hartley, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Courtney Lawes, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Piers Francis, 23 Semesa Rokoduguni

Samoa: 15 Ahsee Tuala, 14 Paul Perez, 13 Kieron Fonotia, 12 Alapati Leiua, 11 David Lemi, 10 Tim Nanai-Williams, 9 Dwayne Polataivao, 8 Jack Lam, 7 TJ Ioane, 6 Piula Faasalele, 5 Chris Vui (c), 4 Josh Tyrell, 3 Donald Brighouse, 2 Motu Matu’u, 1 Jordan Lay
Replacements: 16 Manu Leiataua, 17 James Lay, 18 Hisa Sasagi, 19 Faatiga Lemalu, 20 Ofisa Treviranus, 21 Melani Matavao, 22 Rey Lee-Lo, 23 JJ Taulagi

Date: Saturday, November 25
Venue: Twickenham
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)