Borthwick tweaks England team as Tuilagi gets bench role
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: England have recalled Elliot Daly for their final-round Six Nations clash away to France on Saturday in the lone change to the side that denied Ireland successive Grand Slams.
Daly is an enforced alteration to the team that started last weekend’s dramatic 23-22 win at Twickenham, with the experienced wing replacing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso after the medical student ruled himself out with self-diagnosed concussion symptoms.
The experienced Daly returns on the left wing, with Tommy Freeman switching to the right wing.
Meanwhile, powerhouse centre Manu Tuilagi is among the replacements, the injury-prone midfielder included in an England matchday 23 for the first time since last year’s World Cup third-place play-off win over Argentina in Paris.
Veteran playmaker George Ford again starts at flyhalf, with England coach Steve Borthwick resisting the temptation to give Marcus Smith the No.10 shirt after the Harlequins pivot came off the bench to land the last-ditch drop-goal that eventually defeated Ireland.
But former England captain Borthwick has been forced into making a bench change among his forwards, with Ethan Roots replacing Chandler Cunningham-South (calf).
England will win the title if Ireland lose to Scotland without claiming a bonus point in Dublin earlier on ‘Super Saturday’ and they defeat France in Lyon while gaining a bonus point.
England: 15 George Furbank, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Elliot Daly, 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 (captain), 1 Ellis Genge.
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ethan Roots, 20 Alex Dombrandt, 21 Danny Care, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Manu Tuilagi.
Date: Saturday, March 16
Venue: OL Stadium, Lyon
Kick-off: 21.00 (20.00 UK & Ireland time; 20.00 GMT)
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Damian Schneider (Argentina)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
