Teimana Harrison is to win his first international cap after being named in England’s side to take on Wales at Twickenham on Sunday .
The Northampton Saints flanker is one of four uncapped players in the squad for Sunday’s game with Wasps-bound hooker Tommy Taylor and centre Ollie Devoto – who will join Exeter next term. Leicester Tigers loosehead Ellis Genge is also named in the 23-man squad.
Jack Clifford (Harlequins) starts at No 8 with Joe Launchbury (Wasps) and Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints) making up the second-row pairing. There are also starts for Wasps loose-head prop Matt Mullan, Harlequins wing Marland Yarde and Northampton Saints centre Luther Burrell.
Dave Attwood (Bath Rugby), Matt Kvesic (Gloucester Rugby) and Paul Hill (Northampton Saints) are also named amongst the replacements.“It’s a good mixture of experience and youth”
“We’ve picked a side we believe can beat Wales,” said England Head Coach Eddie Jones. “It’s a good mixture of experience and youth.
“Obviously we have a number of players missing from the squad who are taking part in the Premiership final but this provides us with a great opportunity to expose other players to Test rugby. This will serve to strengthen the squad’s depth as we move towards the 2019 World Cup.
He added: “We’ve prepared well this week and I’m pleased with the progress the squad have made in the short time we’ve had together. There’s been plenty of energy and enthusiasm and you can tell the lads have enjoyed being back in camp.”
Jones called the addition of new faces in the squad “exciting” and urged them to take their chance on the international stage this weekend.
“As always there were some tight calls on selection and that’s how we want it,” he said.
“There are some new faces in the squad. Teimana Harrison gets a start at six, which is a great chance for him to make a statement ahead of the tour to Australia. Ellis Genge, Tommy Taylor and Ollie Devoto have all trained hard this week and deserve their spots in the 23.”
Jones also says the fixture against Wales holds huge importance and is relishing returning to Twickenham for the first time since winning the Grand Slam.
“This is an important Test match and a great opportunity for us to play some positive, physical rugby. We are a young team learning our craft, Wales are an experienced team; it’ll be a great test for us.
“We can’t wait to get back Twickenham to play in front of a massive crowd. England versus Wales is a special occasion and we look forward to giving our loyal fans something to cheer about.”
England: Mike Brown, Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Luther Burrell, Marland Yarde, George Ford, Ben Youngs; Matt Mullan, Dylan Hartley, Dan Cole; Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes; Teimana Harrison, James Haskell, Jack Clifford
Replacements: Tommy Taylor, Ellis Genge, Paul Hill, Dave Attwood, Matt Kvesic, Danny Care, Ollie Devoto Elliot Daly