Owen Farrell reverts to fly-half as England name side…

Owen Farrell reverts to fly-half as England name side to start Six Nations against Scotland

Owen Farrell kicks off the Six Nations as England captain and fly-half after being handed the No.10 jersey to face Scotland.

Farrell was at inside-centre for England’s Autumn Nations Cup final triumph last night out, with George Ford pulling the strings at stand-off.

But Eddie Jones has opted to go with Farrell and add more punch in midfield with hard-running youngster Ollie Lawrence starting at 12. Ford is selected on the bench.

The other changes are up front, two of them enforced, with Will Stuart replacing the banned Kyle Sinckler at tighthead prop and Jonny Hill coming into the second row for the injured Joe Launchbury.

Sam Underhill’s absence in the back row means a reshuffle with Tom Curry moving from blindside to openside and Mark Wilson taking over at No.6.

Jones said: “It was difficult to pick the 23 players but I’ve gone with what I feel is the strongest 23 for this week.

Farrell and Jonny May (11) celebrate an England try (PA)

England go into the 2021 Six Nations as defending champions (The RFU Collection via Getty Ima)

“The Six Nations is a short tournament, it’s a real sprint so we’ll need to be on the front foot straight away. We know Scotland will be raring to go – but so will we.”

This Calcutta Cup clash marks the 150th anniversary of rugby’s oldest fixture and should bring a long-awaited debut off the bench for Bath prop Beno Obano.

England

15. Elliot Daly (Saracens, 47 caps)

14. Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby, 46 caps)

13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 34 caps)

12. Ollie Lawrence (Worcester Warriors, 3 caps)

11. Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby, 61 caps)

10. Owen Farrell (C) (Saracens, 88 caps)

9. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 104 caps)

1. Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers, 23 caps)

2. Jamie George (Saracens, 54 caps)

3. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 8 caps)

4. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 43 caps)