Manu Tuilagi will come on as a substitute when Lyon take on France on Saturday in what will be his first Six Nations appearance of the year and possibly his last for England.
The 32-year-old has missed four matches with a groin injury suffered at the World Cup that ruled him out of the opening wins against Italy and Wales. He made his 59th and most recent appearance for the national team in the World Cup bronze medal match against Argentina in October when he injured his hand. Elliot Daly made the only change in the starting XV, replacing the injured Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, with Steve Borthwick Steve Borthwick has called on Tuilagi to claim a place on the bench.
Tuilagi is out of contract with Sale Sharks this summer and has been heavily linked with a move overseas. If he does, given his age, the fact that playing outside England disqualifies a player under Rugby League rules, and the fact that Borthwick appear to have already selected Ollie Lawrence and Henry, that would seem to mean he The end of his England career. Slade became his first choice centre.
The game against France, then, could prove to be a swansong for the centre-forward, who made his Test debut shortly before the 2011 World Cup and would go on to win numerous international caps if not for a series of injuries Chance.
England arrive in France with slim hopes of a first Six Nations title since 2020 and will look to seize their chance against Ireland against Scotland. So Bostwick kept changes to a minimum and Daley returned to the squad after Fay Waboso was ruled out with concussion symptoms, according to The Guardian .
After a last-minute heroics against Ireland, Borthwick resisted the temptation to start Marcus Smith in the first half, instead insisting on George Ford wearing the number 10 jersey. The only other change from Round 23 is that Ethan Roots is on the bench and Chandler Cunningham-South is out with a calf injury.
quick guide
France vs England
exhibit
French, C. Bayet.
England XV: G Firbank, T Freeman, H Slade, O Lawrence, E Daly, G Ford, A Mitchell, E Genge, J George (captain), D Cole, M Itoje, G Martin, O Chesson, S Underhill, B Earl.
That means Ellis Genge, captain Jamie George and Dan Cole remain in the front row, with Maro Itoje and George Martin locked in again, Ollie Chesson, Sam Underhee Earl and Ben Earl form the back row. Alex Mitchell is in midfield, Lawrence and Slade continue in midfield, and Northampton duo Tommy Freeman and George Furbank join Daley to form a back three. .
On the bench, Joe Marler, Theo Dan, Will Stewart, Alex Dombrandt, Danny Care – another man who may be playing for England for the last time – —Joined Lutz, Smith and Tuilagi. “After a hard-fought victory against Ireland last week, we realize how important another similar game in Lyon on Saturday is,” Borthwick said.
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“France are still one of the top teams in the world and will pose a huge challenge for us. We are well prepared so far this week as we head into an exciting final weekend , there was a real sense of anticipation and determination around camp.”
Borthwick’s France counterpart Fabien Galthié made no changes to the side that beat Wales 45-24 in Cardiff and still trusts Thomas Ramos to front half , Nolann Le Garrec serves as the scrimmage half.
