TEAM: Lewis Ludlow to captain England against USA
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 13: England Head Coach Eddie Jones prior to the Guinness Six Nations match between England and France at Twickenham Stadium on March 13, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
England head coach Eddie Jones has stuck with Lewis Ludlow as his captain for this weekend’s clash against the USA.
The Gloucester captain was set to lead England ‘A’ last week against Scotland ‘A’ but a Covid-19 outbreak in their opponent’s camp led to the cancellation of the curtain-raiser to England’s summer schedule.
Among eight uncapped players named by Jones, Ludlow will become only the fifth player to captain England as a debutant.
The 26-year-old will be joined in the back row by Sam Underhill and Callum Chick.
Sunday’s match will be broadcast on Channel 4 and sees England take on the USA for the first time since their meeting in the 2019 Rugby World Cup pool stages, when Jones’ men won 45-7 in Kobe.
“Over the past three weeks our biggest message to the players is what an opportunity this is to show what they can do and make their mark with England.
“They’ve applied themselves as a group and worked very hard individually during this camp to reach their personal bests.
“Now it’s all about coming together as a team, gelling and putting in a good performance at the weekend.”
Elsewhere in the pack, Josh McNally and Charlie Ewels form the lock pairing while Ellis Genge will act as vice-captain to Ludlow from the front row.
Hooker Curtis Langdon and tighthead Joe Heyes retain their places from the squad named for England ‘A’.
There are, however, changes to the backline as Jacob Umaga, Dan Kelly and Adam Radwan drop out, to allow opportunities for Marcus Smith, Henry Slade and Joe Cokanasiga to start.
Premiership winner Smith will be partnered by Harry Randall in the half-backs, while Bristol team-mate Max Malin stays on the wing opposite Cokanasiga and full-back Freddie Steward.
Debuts also await four players named among the replacements in hooker Jamie Blamire, prop Trevor Davison, flanker Ben Curry, and fly-half Umaga, with a six-two split chosen.
England team to face USA (Sunday, 2pm kick-off)
England: 15 Freddie Steward*, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Max Malins, 10 Marcus Smith*, 9 Harry Randall*; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Curtis Langdon*, 3 Joe Heyes*, 4 Josh McNally*, 5 Charlie Ewels, 6 Lewis Ludlow (c)*, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Callum Chick*
Replacements: 16 Jamie Blamire*, 17 Beno Obano, 18 Trevor Davison*, 19 Ted Hill, 20 Ben Curry*, 21 Lewis Ludlam, 22 Dan Robson, 23 Jacob Umaga*
