Major blow as England lose star forward
TEAM UPDATE: Ellis Genge has been drafted into the starting XV for England’s final International of the year against France.
Mako Vunipola has been ruled out of the Nations Cup final with an Achilles injury, while Joe Marler comes in as a finisher.
Eddie Jones’ side are looking to finish 2020 with victory in the Nations Cup final at Twickenham Stadium on Sunday.
Attack coach Simon Amor said: “Mako picked up an injury in last week’s game. We’ve given him every opportunity to recover for this one but unfortunately he hasn’t made it.”
“It’s disappointing to lose any player. In Ellis Genge and Joe Marler, we have got two outstanding looseheads there. They’ve trained well this week,” Amor said.
“Ellis is a real bowling ball in terms of his carries, so he’ll bring that aggression with the ball. He’s a very destructive scrummager and he brings a real energy to the team. He’s a great one to bring in.”
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England-revised: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Owen Farrell (captain), 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Tom Curry, 5 Joe Launchbury, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ellis Genge .
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Jonny Hill, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Dan Robson, 22 Max Malins, 23 Joe Marchant.’
Date: Sunday, December 6
Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London
Kick-off: 14.00 (15.00 French time; 14.00 GMT)
Expected weather: Mainly cloudy and chilly, with light winds. High of 5°C and low of 1°C
Referee: Andrew Brace
Assistant referees: Frank Murphy, Craig Evans
TMO: Ben Whitehouse
* Additional reporting by PA
