Joe Cokanasiga, who was man of the match on his full Six Nations debut last weekend, has been dropped by Eddie Jones for England’s final match of the Championship against Scotland on Saturday.
Cokanasiga was compared to Jonah Lomu by former England coach Clive Woodward after his all-action display against Italy, but is left out of the match day 23. The fit-again Jack Nowell replaces Cokanasiga – who England confirmed is not injured – as one of four changes to the starting XV.
Henry Slade and Mark Wilson are also recalled, while Ben Moon comes back in for Ellis Genge on the loosehead. Slade returns for Ben Te’o, meaning Manu Tuilagi – fresh from signing a new deal with Leicester that means he is available for England for two more years – moves back to the No12 jersey.
The return of Wilson, a revelation since the start of the Autumn Internationals, is the only change up front. He comes in at blindside for Brad Shields, who had his best game for England against Italy, scoring two tries. He takes a place on the bench alongside Wasps team-mate Nathan Hughes – that pair of back-rowers will cover lock, meaning Bath duo Elliott Stooke and Charlie Ewels join Cokanasiga as the three squad members not in the 23.
The match kicks off at 5pm on Saturday, after Wales face Ireland. If Wales win, they take the Grand Slam, Championship and triple crown, but should they slip up, England can win the Championship with victory over Scotland. So far, they have three bonus point victories and a defeat to Wales, who would earn three bonus points for winning every match.
Ben Youngs starts at scrum-half and will win his 85th cap, taking him clear of Danny Care as England’s most-capped No9. Saracens’ Ben Spencer replaces the unwell Dan Robson as Youngs’ understudy.
“It is the last week of the tournament so it’s exciting. It will be a fascinating finish to the Championship with three teams that can win it and we are playing against one of our most traditional foes in Scotland for the Calcutta Cup. We have had a good preparation and the side is going to be in a great state to play against Scotland on Saturday.
“Scotland is a difficult side, they are always at you, they play with a lot of enthusiasm and effort and have got a lot of attacking strings to their bow. Finn Russell is an exceptional player at 10 and they have got some pace on the outside so we are going to have to defend really well against them.”
| Backs | |||
| 15 | Elliot Daly | Wasps | 29 |
| 14 | Jack Nowell | Exeter Chiefs | 32 |
| 13 | Henry Slade | Exeter Chiefs | 21 |
| 12 | Manu Tuilagi | Leicester Tigers | 31 |
| 11 | Jonny May | Leicester Tigers | 44 |
| 10 | Owen Farrell (c) | Saracens | 69 |
| 9 | Ben Youngs | Leicester Tigers | 84 |
| Forwards | |||
| 1 | Ben Moon | Exeter Chiefs | 7 |
| 2 | Jamie George | Saracens | 36 |
| 3 | Kyle Sinckler | Harlequins | 21 |
| 4 | Joe Launchbury | Wasps | 57 |
| 5 | George Kruis | Saracens | 31 |
| 6 | Mark Wilson | Newcastle Falcons | 12 |
| 7 | Tom Curry | Sale Sharks | 9 |
| 8 | Billy Vunipola | Saracens | 40 |
| Substitutes | |||
| 16 | Luke Cowan-Dickie | Exeter Chiefs | 10 |
| 17 | Ellis Genge | Leicester Tigers | 8 |
| 18 | Dan Cole | Leicester Tigers | 84 |
| 19 | Brad Shields | Wasps | 7 |
| 20 | Nathan Hughes | Wasps | 21 |
| 21 | Ben Spencer | Saracens | 2 |
| 22 | George Ford | Leicester Tigers | 54 |
| 23 | Ben Te’o | Worcester Warriors | 17 |
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