Alex Mitchell has been surprisingly named in England’s starting XV against Italy on Saturday after recovering well from a leg injury and proving his fitness on Thursday morning.
The Northampton half-back suffered a leg injury upon arriving at England’s training camp and was forced to miss training on Monday and Tuesday, with it being thought he was simply competing for a place on the bench. However, Steve Borthwick named the 26-year-old to start in England’s Six Nations opener in Rome, picking up five uncapped players in Round 23.
The five-man group includes inside center Fraser Dingwall and wing player Ethan Roots, as well as substitutes Fin Smith and Emmanuel Faye Wabo Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and 20-year-old Chandler Cunningham-South. All five players are eligible to represent other countries, so Borthwick hopes they will feature for England, provided the players on the bench are available.
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italy vs england
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Italy: Thomas Allen; Angie Capuzzo, Ignacio Blakes, Tommaso Menoncello, Monty Yoan; Paolo Galbisi, Alessandro Galbi West; Lorenzo Cannone, Michel Ramaro, Sebastian Negri, Federico Ruza, Niccolò Cannone, Pietro Ceccarelli , Gianmarco Lucchesi, Danilo Fischetti. alternatives: Giacomo Nicotra, Mirco Spagnolo, Gisue Chirocchi, Andrea Zambonin, Eduardo Yachchi, Manuel Zuliani , Stephen Varney, Lorenzo Pani.
England: Freddie Stewart, Tommy Freeman, Henry Slade, Fraser Dingwall, Elliot Daly; George Ford, Alex Mitchell; Joe Mahler, Jamie George (captain), Will Stewart, Maro Itoje, Ollie Cheatham, Ethan Lutz, Sam Underhill, Ben Earle. alternatives: Theodan, Ellis Genge, Dan Cole, Alex Coles, Chandler Cunningham, Danny Kyle, Finn Smith, Emmanuel Fahey-Vabso.
George Ford was given the number 10 jersey, with Fin Smith on the bench. Mitchell’s introduction is a boost for Borthwick, who has lost Marcus Smith, who was scheduled to start at half-time, to injury this week.
Dingwall finally got a chance. He had represented nine England teams before, but ultimately missed the opportunity to play for the England national team for the first time. Roots, who represented the Maori All Blacks, joined Exeter in the summer and directly Entered the team. With Roots eligible for the All Blacks and Finn Smith and Dingwall eligible for Scotland, Borthwick has linked them up with England as well as Fay Waboso and Cunningham who can feature for Wales. South (New Zealand) contact.
Jamie George is captained for the first time, with Joe Marler and Will Stuart taking on the captaincy. Maro Itoje and Ollie Chessum sat in the second row, while Sam Underhill and Ben Earl joined Roots in the back row. Itoje and one of his replacements, Ellis Genge, serve as vice-captains.
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Henry Slade, who missed the World Cup squad, returns to outside center, while Tommy Freeman makes his debut under Borthwick, alongside Elliot Daly Forming a back three with Freddie Steward. Theo Dan, Dan Cole, Alex Coles and Danny Kyle are the other substitutes.
