Borthwick sticks with tried and tested to face Wallabies

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: England coach Steve Borthwick has named an unchanged side for their clash with Australia at Twickenham on Saturday.

Replacement hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie is set for his first appearance under the head coach after being brought on to the bench.

England suffered another narrow defeat to the All Blacks in their Nations Series opener, but Borthwick has resisted the urge to make radical changes.

Jamie George will captain England, supported by vice-captains Maro Itoje, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, and George Ford.

In the front row, George starts at hooker, with Genge at loosehead prop and Will Stuart at tighthead. Itoje pairs with George Martin in the second row, while the back row features Chandler Cunningham-South on the blindside flank, Tom Curry at openside, and Earl at No. 8.

Ben Spencer starts at scrumhalf, with Marcus Smith at flyhalf. In the midfield, the centre partnership has been switched for this weekend’s match, with Henry Slade starting at inside centre and Ollie Lawrence at 13.

The back three features Immanuel Feyi-Waboso on the right wing, Tommy Freeman on the left, and George Furbank at fullback, completing the starting lineup.

There are two changes to the replacements’ bench from last Saturday’s game against New Zealand, with Luke Cowan-Dickie and Ollie Sleightholme set to make their first appearances of the Nations Series. They join Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Alex Dombrandt, Harry Randall, and George Ford among the replacements.

“Facing Australia is always a massive challenge, and we’ll work diligently this week to ensure we’re physically and tactically prepared to take on the Wallabies,” said Borthwick.

“The passion and energy from the crowd at Allianz Stadium last weekend was brilliant, from the opening whistle to the final moments, and we can’t wait to be back at home this Saturday.”

England: 15 George Furbank, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George (captain),1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Alex Dombrandt; 21 Harry Randall, 22 George Ford, 23 Ollie Sleightholme.

Date: Saturday, November 9
Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London
Kick-off: 15.10 (15.10 GMT; 02:10 Sunday, November 10)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Paul Williams (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)