England bring in new faces

Jonny May is one of a number of new faces set to line up for England
29 January 2014

England will enter Saturday's critical 2014 RBS 6 Nations opener against France with a radically reshaped backline founded on promise over experience.

In a bold team selection that could be viewed as risky for a championship showdown in Paris, uncapped pair Jack Nowell and Luther Burrell will be installed on the right wing and at outside centre.

Jonny May will start on the left wing in the XV named by head coach Stuart Lancaster on Thursday morning, making only his second Test appearance.

With inside centre Billy Twelvetrees possessing only eight caps, it means England are set to enter a potentially title-deciding clash with a rookie three-quarter line full of unknown quantities.

Scrum-half Danny Care, fly-half Owen Farrell and full-back Mike Brown number 81 caps, offering a degree of maturity in what is expected to be a bruising collision at the Stade de France, but Lancaster has otherwise gambled on potential.

The absence of Manu Tuilagi with a chest injury has limited England's midfield options, but the decision to omit out-of-form Chris Ashton from the squad travelling to Paris and Brad Barritt's likely selection on the bench has removed two established names from the XV.

With Ben Youngs also deemed surplus to requirements, Care will be given the nod at scrum-half with Lee Dickson offering cover from the bench.

An additional risk is the likely absence of specialist fly-half cover among the replacements with Alex Goode expected to pull the strings if required.

For all the uncertainty behind the scrum, stability reigns in the pack with loosehead prop the only position to demand lengthy consideration.

The duel between the ruggedness and set-piece solidity of Joe Marler against the ball-carrying prowess of Mako Vunipola should see the former edge into the XV.

Forwards coach Graham Rowntree insists the decision over who starts is win-win for England.

"We blooded Joe 18 months ago in that South Africa series. He very quickly looked the part of a trusted Test player," Rowntree said.

"His form in the last six months has been exceptional. His all-round game has been superb.

"He's very, very accurate at the set-piece, but what he's offering outside the set-piece has really come on.

"Mako has come on leaps and bounds and the set-piece was a perceived weakness of his, but he's done a lot of work there. He's one of the best props in the world."

England will reselect the rest of the pack - led by captain Chris Robshaw - that performed with such ferocity in the QBE Internationals against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand.

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