Eddie Jones has given Tommy Freeman the starting nod and bolstered his pack for Saturday’s match against South Africa by selecting Mako Vunipola and Jamie George for the Springboks’ visit. Jones has also given Alex Coles a second start and dropped both of his vice-captains as England seeks its second victory of the fall season.
Freeman replaces Nowell on the right wing, Vunipola takes the place of Ellis Genge at loosehead prop, and George replaces Luke Cowan-Dickie.
Coles replaces Sam Simmonds as blindside flanker in the back row, over his Northampton teammate David Ribbans. Jones has also maintained faith in scrum half Jack van Poortvliet despite his obvious struggles against New Zealand.
Freeman, 21, makes his first appearance of the fall after earning his first two caps in the summer against Australia. Nowell is relegated to the bench after struggling against the All Blacks.
Both Vunipola and George performed well off the bench against New Zealand last week; George was selected despite admitting this week that his broken foot has not fully healed. Given his impact off the bench against New Zealand, Ribbans can consider himself unlucky to lose out to Coles.
Manu Tuilagi earns his 50th cap at outside center, while Eddie Jones resists the temptation to start Henry Slade, who also stood out against the All Blacks. Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell’s 10-12 partnership continues, while Jonny May and Freddie Steward and Van Poortvliet, another pair of 21-year-olds, also continue.
Kyle Sinckler, Jonny Hill, Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Billy Vunipola maintain their positions up front.
Cowan-Dickie, Genge, and Will Stuart, who scored two tries in the dramatic comeback against New Zealand, serve as replacements for the front row. In addition to Ribbans, Simmonds, Ben Youngs, Slade, and Nowell are on the bench.
“This is our final game of the fall and our opportunity to continue to build on the improvements we’ve made throughout the season,” Jones said. “We have steadily improved from game to game, ending in a tense tie against New Zealand.
Now we have the opportunity to test our strength against the global champions. We are heading out to energize the audience. The atmosphere at Twickenham last week was incredible, and we want to create a similar one on Saturday by working hard on the field.
