Steve Borthwick has named his first England matchday squad, which will take on Scotland in the Red Rose’s first match of the Six Nations.
London Irish wing Ollie Hassell-Collins will make his Test debut at Twickenham, while Harlequins hooker Jack Walker is the other uncapped player in the squad and could debut off the bench.
Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell start
Owen Farrell returns from his suspension and captains the side from inside centre, with Marcus Smith starting in the number 10 jersey.
Jack van Poortvliet is in line for his eighth England cap, starting inside Smith, while Joe Marchant pairs up with Farrell in the centres.
Freddie Steward starts at full-back, with debutant Hassell-Collins on the left wing and Saracens flyer Max Malins on the right.
The pack
In the pack, Ellis Genge starts at loosehead prop, Kyle Sinckler is tighthead, and Jamie George runs out at hooker.
Saracens forward Maro Itoje slots into the second-row and is joined by Leicester Tigers’ Ollie Chessum in the engine room.
Ben Curry earns just his second Test cap after debuting in 2017 as he is named as the starting openside flanker with Lewis Ludlam at blindside. Alex Dombrandt returns to the England set-up, having missed the Autumn Nations Series and completes the pack starting at number eight.
On the bench, Dan Cole is in line to win his 96th cap, his first since the 2019 Rugby World Cup, with uncapped hooker Walker and 74 Test loosehead Mako Vunipola the front-row replacements.
Saracens pair Nick Isekwe and Ben Earl add further cover in the pack.
Ollie Lawrence and Anthony Watson join England’s most capped men’s international, Ben Youngs, as backline replacements.
Excitement
Head coach Borthwick expressed his and the squad’s excitement ahead of the year’s first Test.
“There are few fixtures in the rugby calendar that excite both players and supporters alike more than the annual Six Nations meeting of the Auld Enemy as they battle for the honour of lifting the Calcutta Cup,” Borthwick said.
“Another packed Twickenham will witness the start of the next chapter of English rugby in one of the most keenly contested tournaments in the world.
“There is no doubt that this England team shares the supporters’ sense of eager anticipation.
“To a man, the players are determined to play with the commitment, fight and desire that is at the very heart of representing England, the sort of passion that our tremendous supporters rightly expect.”
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Max Malins, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Owen Farrell (c), 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Jack van Poortvliet, 8 Alex Dombrandt, 7 Ben Curry, 6 Lewis Ludlam, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Ollie Lawrence, 23 Anthony Watson
Date: Saturday, February 4
Venue: Twickenham
Kick-off: 16:45 GMT
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), James Doleman (New Zealand)
TMO: Brendan Pickerill (New Zealand)
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