England vs Ireland team announcement LIVE: Eddie Jones names side for Autumn Nations Cup
Follow the latest updates as Jones names his matchday squad before holding his pre-match press conference
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Follow the latest updates live from England’s team announcement ahead of their Autumn Nations Cup clash against Ireland as Eddie Jones names his squad this morning.
England go into the Group A showdown top of the table, having trounced Georgia 40-0 last weekend to make a winning start to their Autumn Nations Cup campaign, which comes straight off the back of their Six Nations title triumph. But Ireland sit just one point behind them after their 32-9 victory over Wales in the tournament curtain-raiser, and will have enjoyed an extra day’s rest when the game kicks off at Twickenham this Saturday afternoon.
Ireland boss Andy Farrell named his side yesterday that showed four changes as Bundee Aki, Keith Earls, Ross Byrne and CJ Stander all start, with captain Johnny Sexton ruled out through injury and lock James Ryan leading the team in his absence. England have George Ford back to fitness and available to start, with Jones expected to make plenty of changes from the team that breezed past Georgia last weekend. Follow the live updates below.
England vs Ireland team news
We’ll be speaking to Jones in about 10 minutes’ time to talk through the squad and his thinking behind the selections for what is set-up to be the game of the weekend.
England vs Ireland team news
So what do we make of that selection?
It’s hard to say the changes in the back weren’t expected, although the retention of Joe Launchbury is an interesting one. Jones selected Jonny Hill alongside Maro Itoje for the Six Nations clash with Italy three weeks’ ago, the last time he selected a full-strength side, but this time around he’s gone with the Wasps captain after an impressive job in the maul last weekend.
The unchanged back line is also a slight surprise, given Ford’s availability this week. The fly-half is rarely left out of the starting XV when fit, and it puts a huge amount of faith in Ollie Lawrence in what will only be his third international cap.
England vs Ireland team news
Jones hasn’t been wasteful in talking up the magnitude of this game, describing it last week as their “biggest match of the season” in a quote that he has repeated today.
“I’ve picked the strongest team possible for the most important game of our season,” Jones said.
“We have the highest respect for Ireland and their coach Andy Farrell. They’ve had good preparation with two wins and a dominant display against Wales, and we will need to be at our best on Saturday.
“We’ve trained well this week, we’re expecting a tough, physical game against Ireland and we’ve reflected that in our sessions. We’ll look to lift our performance even higher and are looking forward to a really good game of rugby.”
England vs Ireland team news
All four personnel changes therefore come in the pack as Mako Vuniola and Kyle Sinckler both return at prop at the expense of Ellis Genge and Will Stuart, who drop to the bench, while Maro Itoje moves back to the second row to accommodate Jones’s preferred flanker pairing of Tom Curry and Sam Underhill. Jack Willis, who scored on his England debut last weekend, had already been released from the squad earlier in the week after failing to make selection for the clash with Ireland.
The pair join Billy Vunipola in the back row, while the side is completed in the back three with Elliot Daly and Jonny May joining Joseph, who repeats the wide role that he fulfilled in the 24-12 Six Nations victory over the Irish back in February this year.
Jamie George is retained at hooker fresh from scoring a hat-trick of tries against Georgia, while Joe Launchbury does enough to edge out Exeter’s Jonny Hill at lock, with the latter back in the matchday squad after being rested last weekend. With Hill joined by Ben Earl among the replacements, there is no space in the squad for Northampton flanker Lewis Ludlam.
Ford is also among the replacements where he is joined by Dan Robson and Max Malins as cover for the back line, while Tom Dunn backs up George at hooker as he continues to wait for his first England start.
England vs Ireland team news
George Ford has been named among the replacements for England’s Autumn Nations Cup showdown with Ireland this weekend with captain Owen Farrell continuing at fly-half after Eddie Jones selected his “strongest team possible”.
Despite the return to fitness of regular fly-half Ford after recovering from an ankle injury, Jones has elected not to rush the Leicester half-back and will continue with the midfield combination of Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence against a battle-hardened Ireland side.
With the two-cap Lawrence retained in the side in what is a big show of faith from Jones in the Worcester Warriors centre, the back line remains completely unchanged as Jonathan Joseph has overcome the back spasm that forced him off before half-time in last Saturday’s victory, meaning he remains out on the wing with Gloucester’s Ollie Thorley omitted from the side.
England vs Ireland team news
Elliot Daly; Jonathan Joseph, Ollie Lawrence, Henry Slade, Jonny May; Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs; Mako Vunipola, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler; Maro Itoje, Joe Launchbury; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: Tom Dunn, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, Jonny Hill, Ben Earl, Dan Robson, George Ford, Max Malins.
England vs Ireland team news
The team is in … here we go…
England vs Ireland team news
The big decision for Eddie Jones is whether he recalls a fit-again George Ford into the starting line-up, or whether he retains faith in the combination of Owen Farrell, Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence that featured in the defeat of Georgia last time out?
With changes almost certain in the pack, the question is how many will Jones make? Here’s a look at how the return of Ford gives Jones plenty of food for thought.
Can George Ford’s return mask England’s Manu Tuilagi-shaped hole against Ireland?
Ireland’s starting line-up is without Jonny Sexton and Conor Murray for the first time against England in a decade, but England’s four losses in that same time frame have all come without powerhouse centre Tuilagi
England vs Ireland team news
As is always the case with Ireland, Andy Farrell named his side earlier in the week than their opponents, although by the time the squad list dropped yesterday we already knew that Johnny Sexton would not be fit to feature with the Irish skipper suffering a hamstring strain in last week’s victory over Wales.
With Billy Burns only making his debut in that match - and being forced off due to a head injury assessment before the end of the match - Farrell has elected to go with Ross Byrne at fly-half, with the Leinster man holding just eight caps in what will be his biggest test on the international stage yet.
Byrne’s inclusion is one of four changes that Farrell has made as CJ Stander returns to the back row, albeit at blindside flanker as Peter O’Mahony moves to openside and Caelan Doris retains the No 8 shirt, with Josh van der Flier missing out. Bundee Aki returns at centre to replace the injured Robbie Henshaw, and with Garry Ringrose still sidelined Chris Farrell remains at outside centre. The one remaining change come in the back three as Keith Earls returns to replace Andrew Conway, with Hugo Keenan retained at full-back a Jacob Stockdale only makes the bench.
England vs Ireland team news
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage from England’s team announcement day ahead of Saturday’s Autumn Nations Cup clash with Ireland at Twickenham.
Andy Farrell has already selected his side for the crucial Group A encounter, which could well determine who will finish top of the table next week and compete in the final for the Autumn Nations Cup in two weeks’ time. We’ll sink our teeth into the Ireland selection shortly.
But this morning it’s the turn of Eddie Jones to announce his side, with changes expected throughout the side. Did Ellis Genge and Will Stuart do enough against Georgia to retain their places at prop? Will Jonny Hill return in the second row or could Joe Launchbury beat him to selection? How will the back line set up with George Ford fit and available once again?
All will be revealed at 11am, with Jones set to talk us through his thinking 30 minutes later when he holds his pre-match press conference.
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