The Law[es] to lead England in final warm-up
TEAM ANNOUNCMENT: Courtney Lawes will earn his 100th cap as England captain on Saturday as Steve Borthwick’s men take on Fiji at Twickenham Stadium in the last of Nations Series games before the start of the 2023 World Cup in France.
Following a very eventful warm-up season including the suspension of regular captain Owen Farrell, England will be hoping that this Saturday’s match will be remembered for a celebration of Lawes as he brings up his century of England appearances.
Lawes made his debut as a 20-year-old against Australia in 2009.
In all, there are nine changes to the starting XV who took the field in Dublin last Saturday.
In the front row, Theo Dan (Saracens) gets his first England start at hooker, where he is joined by loosehead prop Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears) – who is named as one of two vice-captains – and Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers) at tighthead.
Having featured off the bench against Ireland, Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers) comes into the side to partner Maro Itoje (Saracens) in the second row. Jack Willis (Toulouse) makes his first start of the Nations Series at openside flank, with captain Lawes on the blindside and Ben Earl (Saracens) at No.8 to round off the back row.
Scrumhalf Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints) partners vice-captain George Ford (Sale Sharks) in the halfback berths. In the centres, Manu Tuilagi (Sale Sharks) and Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby) combine to make a powerful midfield pairing.
In the back three, Jonny May (Gloucester) features on the left wing, with Max Malins (Bristol Bears) on the right and Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers) again taking his place at fullback.
Hooker Jack Walker (Harlequins) is named amongst the replacements alongside Joe Marler (Harlequins), Will Stuart (Bath), David Ribbans (Toulon), Lewis Ludlam (Northampton Saints), Danny Care (Harlequins) Marcus Smith (Harlequins) and Joe Marchant (Stade Francais).
“After another eventful and dramatic encounter against the number one team in the world in Dublin last weekend, we are delighted to be back at Twickenham with our home supporters to welcome an in-form Fiji team,” said Borthwick.
“All of the Nations Series Test matches have provided us with an opportunity to continue our preparations for the World Cup in France. Fiji have proven themselves to be a strong opposition and we look forward to what we expect to be an exciting and challenging game. Rest assured that we will be looking to convert the opportunities we have recently been creating week-on-week into points on the scoreboard.
“At this our last Test before heading to France, I want to thank our fans for all the support you continue to give us, and it means a lot to us that you will be behind us all the way on our World Cup journey.”
On Courtney Lawes, Borthwick commented: “We couldn’t be prouder of Courtney on achieving his incredible milestone after 14 years of excellent performances for his country.
“It has been a privilege to watch his journey and witness him develop into a truly outstanding rugby player.
“Not only is Courtney an exceptional talent and an excellent professional, he is also a brilliant role model for young players every time he steps onto the field.”
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Max Malins, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Jack Willis, 6 Courtney Lawes (Captain), 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Theo Dan, 1 Ellis Genge.
Replacements: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Will Stuart, 19 David Ribbans, 20 Lewis Ludlam, 21 Danny Care, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Joe Marchant.
Date: Saturday, August 26
Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London
Kick-off: 15.15 (14.15 GMT; 02.15 Sunday, August 27 Fiji Time)
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Pierre Brousset (France) & Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)
