Jones changes it up for Newlands showdown
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: England coach Eddie Jones made three changes to his starting XV to face South Africa in the final match of the three-Tests series, at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday.
Joe Marler (Harlequins) was named in the front row, replacing Mako Vunipola (Saracens), who returned home for family reasons earlier this week.
Danny Cipriani (Wasps) will make his first start for England since 2008, replacing George Ford (Leicester Tigers) at flyhalf.
Chris Robshaw (Harlequins) replaces Brad Shields (Hurricanes/Wasps) at blindside flank. Shields is sidelined due to illness.
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“We’ve had a really upbeat training week,” Jones said.
“We are up for the battle and are going to rip in on Saturday.
“We want another committed performance where it will be crucial to maintain our composure when the heat is on.
“We are expecting a wet and windy old day at Newlands and have elected to play Danny Cipriani ahead of George Ford, to give us a left-foot kicking option.
“We will need to jump out of the blocks quickly again and make sure we maintain that pressure and make good decisions.
“I’ve been really impressed with the fortitude of the squad under Owen Farrell, who is a young captain, and with a number of young players who have really stuck to the task.”
England: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Jonny May, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Owen Farrell (captain), 11 Mike Brown, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Chris Robshaw, 5 Maro Itoje, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Jonny Hill, 20 Mark Wilson, 21 Sam Simmonds, 22 Ben Spencer, 23 Denny Solomona.
Date: Saturday, June 23
Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
Kick-off: 17.00 (16.00 UK time; 15.00 GMT)
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Romain Poite (France), Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
