Joe Cokanasiga has been omitted from England‘s squad to play Scotland in the final round of the Six Nations.
England head coach Eddie Jones has recalled wing Jack Nowell into his backline, as one of four changes made to the team which thrashed Italy 57-14 last weekend.
It was Cokanasiga who provided the most impact in England’s nine-try display; forcing missed tackles and having a hand in setting up a couple of tries.
Nowell’s Exeter Chiefs teammate Henry Slade also returns to the starting line-up to partner Manu Tuilagi in midfield, while Ben Moon replaces Ellis Genge at loosehead prop and Mark Wilson is restored to the blindside flank in place of Brad Shields.
There is no place for a recognised second row on England’s bench as Shields and no.8 Nathan Hughes are named to wear the 19 and 20 shirts. This despite Bath duo Charlie Ewels and Elliott Stooke training with the team this week.
Ben Spencer comes in as scrum-half cover for starter Ben Youngs, with Dan Robson ruled out due to illness.
A Six Nations title awaits England should they claim victory over Scotland and Wales draw or lose to Ireland in Cardiff.
“It is the last week of the tournament so it’s exciting,” Jones said. “It will be a fascinating finish to the Championship with three teams that can win it and we are playing against one of our most traditional foes in Scotland for the Calcutta Cup.
“We have had a good preparation and the side is going to be in a great state to play against Scotland on Saturday.”
England will be seeking redemption from their 25-13 defeat to Gregor Townsend’s side in last year’s championship at Murrayfield, a result which led Jones to admit his team ‘weren’t good enough to handle it’ when asked about the pressure of playing in the England-Scotland rivalry.
Turning his attention to Saturday’s Twickenham showdown, he voiced the need to be aware of Finn Russell.
“Scotland is a difficult side, they are always at you, they play with a lot of enthusiasm and effort and have got a lot of attacking strings to their bow. Finn Russell is an exceptional player at 10 and they have got some pace on the outside so we are going to have to defend really well against them.”
England’s team to play Scotland in the Guinness Six Nations (Saturday, 15:00 kick-off
England: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell (capt), 9 Ben Youngs; 1 Ben Moon, 2 Jamie George, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 4 Joe Launchbury, 5 George Kruis, 6 Mark Wilson, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Billy Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Brad Shields, 20 Nathan Hughes, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 George Ford, 23 Ben Te’o
