Two tries off the bench buy Pollock a start
Henry Pollock spent last weekend’s win over Australia on the wing. He scored twice there. On Saturday against Japan he goes back where he belongs, at No 8, and he gets to do it from the first whistle.
Steve Borthwick named his side this morning for the second round of the Nations Championship and tore up most of the XV that thumped Australia 45-22. Ten changes in all. Some are rotation, some are forced, and one or two look like a coach testing his depth before the All Blacks arrive on November 21.
The injury list did part of the job for him. Seb Atkinson has a hip problem, so Max Ojomoh starts at inside centre. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (ankle) and George Furbank (groin) are both out, which hands Will Joseph the right wing ahead of Tommy Freeman and puts Cadan Murley and Freddie Steward alongside him in a brand-new back three.
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A new front row and Ford back at 10
Up front, the entire front row is different. Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Asher Opoku-Fordjour pack down together, and George Martin joins captain Maro Itoje in the second row. The back row gets shuffled rather than replaced: Alex Coles moves from lock to blindside, Ben Earl shifts from No 8 to openside, and Pollock fills the gap at the base.
The call at fly-half will get the most attention. George Ford starts. Marcus Smith sits on the bench. Henry Slade and Jack van Poortvliet are the only backs who keep their places.
Borthwick called Japan “a very well-coached side” and warned his players they would need intensity for the full 80 minutes. Eddie Jones, now in charge of the Brave Blossoms, will know exactly where to look for cracks in a side with this much churn.
A first cap in waiting
Northampton scrum-half Archie McParland is in a matchday 23 for the first time and could win his first Test cap off the bench. Borthwick said the youngster had endured bad luck with injuries and deserved the call. Theo Dan, Emmanuel Iyogun, Joe Heyes, Arthur Clark, Ben Curry, Greg Fisilau and Smith complete the replacements.
England have won three of their four Tests in this competition so far, losing only in South Africa in July. Kick-off on Saturday is at 4.40pm.
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