Shaking things up in a major way, England's head coach Steve Borthwick has benched Maro Itoje and made eight other daring changes to the squad set to face Fiji this coming weekend. In a bold move, the England captain will join the replacements, signaling a significant shift in strategy as the team looks to build on their recent victory.
The reshuffle doesn't stop with Itoje. Ellis Genge, still sharing captain duties with Itoje, steps up as a starter, alongside promoted Bomb Squad members Luke Cowan-Dickie and Alex Coles. The backline sees the return of Marcus Smith, taking over the fullback position due to Freddie Steward's hand injury, and Tommy Freeman, who is pushed to the wing after Tom Roebuck’s training mishap. Ollie Lawrence makes a notable comeback at centre, marking his first game since a severe Achilles injury.
Midfield dynamics are revamped with Lawrence pairing up with Fraser Dingwall. The halves are covered by Fin Smith and Alex Mitchell. The forward pack introduces Chandler Cunningham-South at number eight, shifting Ben Earl to openside flanker, while Guy Pepper remains at six. The second row features Ollie Chessum, now vice-captain, alongside Coles, and the front row is rounded out by Joe Heyes, Cowan-Dickie, and Genge.
"It was a pleasing start to the series against Australia last weekend, and we know we’ll need to take another step forward against Fiji,"
Borthwick remarked.
"Fiji are a dangerous team with power and quality right across the pitch. They play with physicality and skill, so we’ll need to bring intensity, accuracy and discipline in everything that we do."
On the bench, Borthwick maintains a 6/2 split, featuring Jamie George, Fin Baxter, and the additional firepower of Tom Curry and Henry Pollock. Backs Ben Spencer and Henry Arundell are set to inject fresh energy into the game from the sidelines.
The Allianz Stadium in Twickenham is set to host this intriguing matchup on Saturday, November 8, with kick-off at 17:40 UK time. The referee team will be led by Paul Williams from New Zealand, with Luc Ramos and Katsuki Furuse assisting, and Mike Adamson in the TMO booth.
England Team to Face Fiji: Marcus Smith, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Lawrence, Fraser Dingwall, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Chandler Cunningham-South, Ben Earl, Guy Pepper, Ollie Chessum, Alex Coles, Joe Heyes, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge (cc). Replacements: Jamie George, Fin Baxter, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Maro Itoje (cc), Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Ben Spencer, Henry Arundell.
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Shaking things up in a major way, England's head coach Steve Borthwick has benched Maro Itoje and made eight other daring changes to the squad set to face Fiji this coming weekend. In a bold move, the England captain will join the replacements, signaling a significant shift in strategy as the team looks to build on their recent victory.
The reshuffle doesn't stop with Itoje. Ellis Genge, still sharing captain duties with Itoje, steps up as a starter, alongside promoted Bomb Squad members Luke Cowan-Dickie and Alex Coles. The backline sees the return of Marcus Smith, taking over the fullback position due to Freddie Steward's hand injury, and Tommy Freeman, who is pushed to the wing after Tom Roebuck’s training mishap. Ollie Lawrence makes a notable comeback at centre, marking his first game since a severe Achilles injury.
Midfield dynamics are revamped with Lawrence pairing up with Fraser Dingwall. The halves are covered by Fin Smith and Alex Mitchell. The forward pack introduces Chandler Cunningham-South at number eight, shifting Ben Earl to openside flanker, while Guy Pepper remains at six. The second row features Ollie Chessum, now vice-captain, alongside Coles, and the front row is rounded out by Joe Heyes, Cowan-Dickie, and Genge.
"It was a pleasing start to the series against Australia last weekend, and we know we’ll need to take another step forward against Fiji,"
Borthwick remarked."Fiji are a dangerous team with power and quality right across the pitch. They play with physicality and skill, so we’ll need to bring intensity, accuracy and discipline in everything that we do."
On the bench, Borthwick maintains a 6/2 split, featuring Jamie George, Fin Baxter, and the additional firepower of Tom Curry and Henry Pollock. Backs Ben Spencer and Henry Arundell are set to inject fresh energy into the game from the sidelines.
The Allianz Stadium in Twickenham is set to host this intriguing matchup on Saturday, November 8, with kick-off at 17:40 UK time. The referee team will be led by Paul Williams from New Zealand, with Luc Ramos and Katsuki Furuse assisting, and Mike Adamson in the TMO booth.
England Team to Face Fiji:
Marcus Smith, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Lawrence, Fraser Dingwall, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Chandler Cunningham-South, Ben Earl, Guy Pepper, Ollie Chessum, Alex Coles, Joe Heyes, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge (cc).
Replacements: Jamie George, Fin Baxter, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Maro Itoje (cc), Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Ben Spencer, Henry Arundell.