14m ago

England move Owen Farrell to centre as Ford starts at No 10

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England coach Eddie Jones
England coach Eddie Jones
PA/Supplied

England have recalled George Ford at flyhalf for Saturday's Six Nations clash against Italy at Twickenham, with captain Owen Farrell moving to inside centre.

Leicester flyhalf Ford was on the bench for last weekend's shock home loss to Scotland, with Farrell starting at No 10 instead.

But the Saracens star was widely criticised for his performance as reigning champions England opened their Six Nations title defence with a lacklustre 11-6 Calcutta Cup defeat.

By the time Ford replaced centre Ollie Lawrence, it was too late for England to turn the tide.

Farrell's performance led some pundits to suggest coach Eddie Jones should drop his skipper, but instead he has reverted to a familiar 10-12 combination by including the 73-times capped Ford in his starting line-up.

Ford's return was just one of several changes, with veteran Australian coach Jones opting for a brand new front row that sees props Kyle Sinckler and Mako Vunipola return from suspension and injury respectively, with Luke Cowan-Dickie starting at hooker in place of Jamie George.

England team to play Italy at Twickenham on Saturday (1415 GMT):

Teams:

England

15 Elliot Daly, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Owen Farrell (captain), 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Mako Vunipola

Substitutes: 16 Jamie George, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Charlie Ewels, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Jack Willis, 22 Dan Robson, 23 Max Malins

Italy

TBA

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