04 October 2023 , 11:56
870
0
George Ford and Owen Farrell are set to start together for England, against Samoa on Saturday, after two and a half years apart.
Manu Tuilagi will take on the country of his birth for the first time, 12 years after winning the first of his 55 caps four World Cups ago. But Henry Arundell, who equalled a national record with five tries on his debut against Chile, is expected to be replaced by Joe Marchant.
England are already through to the quarter-finals and Samoa cannot advance, but with a likely last-eight clash against Fiji on Sunday week, boss Steve Borthwick has no time for further experiment.
He would have wanted to harness the two playmakers at fly-half and inside-centre before now, but Farrell’s four-match ban for a dangerous tackle against Wales in August kiboshed that.
So better late than never it gets a run-out this weekend in Lille where the Red Rose management will hope it does not cramp the style of a team that enjoyed itself against Argentina and Japan with Ford at 10 and two orthodox centres in midfield giving the back line a better balance than it has had for a long time.
Borthwick puts faith in snubbed Jones players as he looks for England revival
Marcus Smith, so electric on his first ever start at fullback in the rout of Chile a fortnight ago, is destined for a return to the bench to make way for first-choice 15 Freddie Steward.
Joe Marchant bags England's fourth try against Japan in Nice last monthElsewhere, Maxime Lucu starts at scrum-half in the absence of injured France captain Antoine Dupont tomorrow when France take on Italy in the crunch Pool A clash in Lyon.
Dupont, who fractured a cheekbone against Namibia, is not included in the hosts' 23-man squad.