Six Saints stars in England 23 for Guinness Six Nations opener against Wales
Six Saints players have been named in England’s matchday squad for Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations opener against Wales at Allianz Stadium (kick-off 4.40pm).
Lock Alex Coles, scrum-half Alex Mitchell, Fraser Dingwall and Tommy Freeman all start, with Dingwall and Freeman teaming up at centre.
Tighthead prop Trevor Davison will look to win his fourth England cap as he is named on the bench, along with back row forward Henry Pollock.
But Manny Iyogun, George Furbank and Fin Smith, who has been recovering from a calf issue, are not involved this weekend, despite having been at England’s training camp in Girona during the past week.
England boss Steve Borthwick said: “England versus Wales is always a special occasion in the rugby calendar. It’s a fierce rivalry with a long history, and one that brings a huge challenge every time we meet.
“We expect Wales to bring a kicking game, so we’ll need to be accurate in how we respond to that challenge.
"For us, our focus is on executing our game plan and maintaining discipline throughout the match.
“We’re excited to get the championship underway at a packed-out Allianz Stadium.
"The support we receive at home is outstanding and always gives the players a huge lift.”
England team to face Wales: 15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 41 caps); 14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs, 13 caps), 13. Tommy Freeman (Saints, 22 caps), 12. Fraser Dingwall (Saints, 7 caps), 11. Henry Arundell (Bath Rugby, 11 caps); 10. George Ford (Sale Sharks, 105 caps) – vice-captain, 9. Alex Mitchell (Saints, 27 caps); 1. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 75 caps) – vice-captain, 2. Jamie George (Saracens, 105 caps) – captain, 3. Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 17 caps); 4. Alex Coles (Saints, 14 caps), 5. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 30 caps); 6. Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby, 7 caps), 7. Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 45 caps), 8. Ben Earl (Saracens, 46 caps).
Replacements: 16. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 53 caps), 17. Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks, 10 caps), 18. Trevor Davison (Saints, 3 caps), 19. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 97 caps), 20. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 65 caps), 21. Henry Pollock (Saints, 5 caps), 22. Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby, 14 caps), 23. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 46 caps).