Exeter’s Jack Nowell will face Ireland on Sunday after being named in the matchday squad for the first time in almost a year. The in-form Nowell has ousted Gloucester’s Jonny May and is set to start on the left wing at the Aviva Stadium.
England have fielded an unchanged starting XV in their opening two wins over Wales and Italy but Nowell’s inclusion is partly a tactical move designed to counter Ireland’s excellent kicking game. May has also paid the price for a couple of costly errors in this season’s Six Nations and is among 10 players released by Stuart Lancaster.
England have also retained Saracens’ Alex Goode but have not yet given up on Mike Brown being available following concussion after the full-back was able to complete a light running session. “We’ll see how he gets on tomorrow and take it day by day,” said Graham Rowntree, England’s forwards coach. “As with every other concussion we will tick all the relevant boxes. We’ve been diligent.”
A degree of uncertainty also hangs over the replacement prop Kieran Brookes, who has picked up a hip flexor strain, necessitating a hasty call to Bath’s Henry Thomas.
There is no room for several players who have frequently been regular starters. Geoff Parling, Tom Wood, Courtney Lawes and Alex Corbisiero are all surplus to requirements while Billy Twelvetrees has been picked ahead of his potential bench rivals Brad Barritt and Kyle Eastmond. Worcester’s Chris Pennell is staying with the squad because Brown still cannot train fully.
England will fly to Dublin on Friday. “We’ve had to make some tough decisions but it’s a good position to be in,” Lancaster said. “Those players going back to their clubs have another big weekend ahead to lay down a marker for later in the tournament.”
A French court has asked for further information before ruling on the assault case against the England forward Steffon Armitage. The 29-year-old flanker is accused of assaulting a man in Toulon in December but denies the charges.
England team to face Ireland (possible) M Brown (Harlequins) or A Goode (Saracens); A Watson (Bath), J Joseph (Bath), L Burrell (Northampton), J Nowell (Exeter Chiefs); G Ford (Bath), B Youngs (Leicester); J Marler (Harlequins), D Hartley (Northampton), D Cole (Leicester), D Attwood (Bath), G Kruis (Saracens), J Haskell (Wasps), C Robshaw (Harlequins, capt), B Vunipola (Saracens).
Replacements: T Youngs (Leicester), M Vunipola (Saracens), K Brookes (Newcastle) or H Thomas (Bath), T Croft (Leicester), N Easter (Harlequins), R Wigglesworth (Saracens), D Cipriani (Sale), B Twelvetrees (Gloucester).
Additional player: C Pennell (Worcester).
