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South Africa leaves door open for highly rated Josh Neill
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Henry Pollock handed first start for England as Borthwick makes 3 changes
By Josh Raisey
Henry Pollock will make his first start for England on Saturday against Ireland in round three of the Guinness Six Nations, with head coach Steve Borthwick making three changes to the starting XV that lost to Scotland 31-20 in the Calcutta Cup.
Having earned his first seven caps from the bench, the 21-year-old will start at No.8 at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium in a revamped back-row, which will also see Tom Curry start at blindside flanker.
Curry and Pollock have been part of England’s ‘Pom Squad’ on the bench so far this season, but have swapped places with Guy Pepper and Sam Underhill following England’s disappointing display against Scotland in round two.
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The only other change in the starting XV sees Ollie Lawrence make his first appearance of the Championship. He will start at outside centre, with Tommy Freeman moving onto the wing in place of Tom Roebuck, who has dropped out of the squad.
After being cleared to play following his two yellow cards at Murrayfield, Henry Arundell will start on the wing again.
Borthwick has kept the 6-2 split on the bench despite being scrutinised in the wake of the defeat, but has changed the two back options, with Jack van Poorvliet replacing scrum-half Ben Spencer and Marcus Smith replacing Fin Smith.
Despite only playing the final 25 minutes of the match, Pollock was one of England’s better performers against Scotland, though the bar was set low. Only two England players, Ben Earl and Freddie Steward, carried for more metres than the Northampton Saints star, who also registered a turnover metres from his own line.
Maro Itoje will lead the side in what will be his 100th England appearance.
“To reach 100 caps for England is a remarkable achievement and speaks volumes about Maro’s consistency and professionalism over many years,” said Borthwick.
“He leads through his actions every day, sets the standard for others and cares deeply about representing his country. We’re all incredibly proud of what he has achieved, and I know it will be a special day for him and his family.
“We’re expecting a huge contest at Allianz Stadium and we’re excited for it. We know the challenge Ireland will bring and we’ve selected a side that we believe has the right balance to meet it.”
England XV
15 Freddie Steward
14 Tommy Freeman
13 Ollie Lawrence
12 Fraser Dingwall
11 Henry Arundell
10 George Ford (VC)
9 Alex Mitchell
1 Ellis Genge (VC)
2 Luke Cowan-Dickie
3 Joe Heyes
4 Maro Itoje (C)
5 Ollie Chessum
6 Tom Curry
7 Ben Earl
8 Henry Pollock
Replacements
16 Jamie George (VC)
17 Bevan Rodd
18 Trevor Davison
19 Alex Coles
20 Guy Pepper
21 Sam Underhill
22 Jack van Poortvliet
23 Marcus Smith
