Four Saracens named in England squad to face Australia
Jamie George, Maro Itoje, Ben Earl and Nick Isiekwe have all been named in the England squad to take on Australia on Saturday.
George will captain England, supported by vice-captains Itoje, Earl, Ellis Genge, and George Ford.
In the front row, George starts at hooker, with Genge at loosehead prop and Will Stuart at tighthead. Itoje pairs with George Martin in the second row, while the back row features Chandler Cunningham-South on the blindside flank, Tom Curry at openside, and Earl at No. 8.
Ben Spencer starts at scrum-half, with Marcus Smith at fly-half. In the midfield, the centre partnership has been switched for this weekend's match, with Henry Slade starting at inside centre and Ollie Lawrence at 13.
The back three features Immanuel Feyi-Waboso on the right wing, Tommy Freeman on the left, and George Furbank at full-back, completing the starting lineup.
There are two changes to the replacements’ bench from last Saturday’s game against New Zealand, with Luke Cowan-Dickie and Ollie Sleightholme set to make their first appearances of the Autumn Nations Series. They join Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Alex Dombrandt, Harry Randall and George Ford among the replacements.
“Facing Australia is always a massive challenge, and we’ll work diligently this week to ensure we’re physically and tactically prepared to take on the Wallabies,” said Head Coach Steve Borthwick.
“The passion and energy from the crowd at Allianz Stadium last weekend was absolutely brilliant, from the opening whistle to the final moments, and we can't wait to be back at home this Saturday."
ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA
Saturday 9 November 2024
Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: 3.10pm (GMT)
15. George Furbank (Northampton Saints, 12 caps)
14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs, 7 caps)
13. Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby, 28 caps)
12. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 66 caps)
11. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 12 caps)
10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 36 caps)
9. Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby, 7 caps)
1. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 63 caps) – vice-captain
2. Jamie George (Saracens, 94 caps) – captain
3. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 42 caps)
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 85 caps) – vice-captain
5. George Martin (Leicester Tigers, 16 caps)
6. Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 8 caps)
7. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 54 caps)
8. Ben Earl (Saracens, 34 caps) – vice-captain
Replacements:
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 41 caps)
17. Fin Baxter (Harlequins, 3 caps)
18. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 116 caps)
19. Nick Isiekwe (Saracens, 12 caps)
20. Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 18 caps)
21. Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, 8 caps)
22. George Ford (Sale Sharks, 97 caps) – vice captain
23. Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints, 2 caps)