Marcus Smith one of seven changes for England with new captain named

Ellis Genge will captain England on Saturday against Fiji at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium, with usual captain Maro Itoje starting on the bench.

The loosehead prop is one of seven changes by head coach Steve Borthwick that have been made to the XV that triumphed over Australia 25-7, having started on the bench. He will be supported by co-captains Ollie Chessum and Fraser Dingwall, with Itoje serving as co-captain from the bench.

Luke Cowan-Dickie, who scored a try as England pulled away in the second half last week, has joined Genge in being promoted to the starting XV, as has Alex Coles, who has taken Itoje’s place in the second-row. The final change in the pack sees Chandler Cunningham-South start at No.8 in place of player of the match Ben Earl, who has shifted to the flank with Sam Underhill out of the squad.

Injuries to Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck have ensured plenty of change in the back line, with Marcus Smith taking Steward’s place at full-back and Tommy Freeman shifting to the wing from outside centre, with Ollie Lawrence marking his England return after rupturing his Achilles in the Six Nations. There will be a change at No.10 as well, with Fin Smith starting instead of George Ford.

With two fly-halves in the starting XV, Borthwick has not opted for any cover there, with Henry Arundell joining Ben Spencer as one of two backs in the 6-2 bench split.

Fixture

Internationals

England

38 - 18

Full-time

Fiji

All Stats and Data

Itoje has joined England’s much-lauded ‘Bomb Squad’, who delivered 15 unanswered points in the final 30 minutes against the Wallabies.

From that bench contingent, only Tom Curry, Henry Pollock and Ben Spencer remain, as Jamie George, Fin Baxter and Itoje started last week. 21-year-old tighthead Asher Opoku-Fordjour has come in to the team, meanwhile, to replace Will Stuart, with the 22-year-old Arundell being the other new addition.

Borthwick said: “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.

“The focus for us this week is on improving on last weekend’s performance and continuing to develop our game.

“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.

“Playing in front of our supporters again at Allianz Stadium means a huge amount to the players, and the team are determined to deliver a performance they can be proud of.”

England XV
15. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 44 caps)
14. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 21 caps)
13. Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby, 35 caps)
12. Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, 5 caps) – vice-captain
11. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs, 10 caps)
10. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints, 12 caps)
9. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 24 caps)
1. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 72 caps) – co-captain
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 50 caps)
3. Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 15 caps)
4. Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 11 caps)
5. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 29 caps) – vice-captain
6. Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby, 4 caps)
7. Ben Earl (Saracens, 43 caps)
8. Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 18 caps)

Replacements
16. Jamie George (Saracens, 103 caps) – vice-captain
17. Fin Baxter (Harlequins, 15 caps)
18. Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks, 4 caps)
19. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 94 caps) – co-captain
20. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 62 caps)
21. Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints, 2 caps)
22. Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby, 11 caps)
23. Henry Arundell (Bath Rugby, 10 caps)