LONDON (Reuters) – England coach Steve Borthwick has gone with the tried and tested option of George Ford at flyhalf for their Six Nations opener away to Italy on Saturday but has given debuts to centre Fraser Dingwall and flanker Ethan Roots in the team named on Thursday.
With Owen Farrell on a sabbatical and Marcus Smith injured, Ford is preferred at flyhalf, with Northampton’s 21-year-old uncapped Fin Smith on the bench. Uncapped winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, also 21, is another of the replacements.
Alex Mitchell has recovered from an infected leg cut to start at scrumhalf, with Danny Care on the bench.
A series of injuries, retirements and unavailability meant that Borthwick’s side was always going to have a new look to that which reached the World Cup semi-finals.
Dingwall will start at inside centre alongside Henry Slade, with Tommy Freeman and Elliot Daly on the wings.
New-Zealand-born Roots is blindside flanker, with Sam Underhill and Ben Earl completing the back row. Uncapped flanker Chandler Cunningham-South is on the bench.
England have lost their opening game in the last four Six Nations and won only two matches in each of the last three seasons, but they have never lost to Italy.
England team to play Italy in Rome on Saturday (1415GMT)
15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 31 caps)
14. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 3 caps)
13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 57 caps)
12. Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
11. Elliot Daly (Saracens, 64 caps)
10. George Ford (Sale Sharks, 91 caps) – vice captain
9. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 11 caps)
1. Joe Marler (Harlequins, 88 caps)
2. Jamie George (Saracens, 85 caps) – captain
3. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 33 caps)
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 76 caps) – vice captain
5. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 18 caps)
6. Ethan Roots (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped)
7. Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 30 caps)
8. Ben Earl (Saracens, 25 caps)
Replacements:
16. Theo Dan (Saracens, 7 caps)
17. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 58 caps) – vice captain
18. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 107 caps)
19. Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 3 caps)
20. Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, uncapped)
21. Danny Care (Harlequins, 96 caps)
22. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
23. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped)
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ken Ferris)
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