England won’t die wondering in this Six Nations but can they deliver a performance?
Steve Borthwick has handed 20-year-old Immanuel Feyi-Waboso a start against Grand Slam-chasing Ireland
©INPHO/Tom Maher
“When a player is ready, then he’s ready for us. If we think they’re best to start, they’re ready to start.”
Those were the words of England attack coach Richard Wigglesworth who, last week, hinted at the possibility of showing no fear when it came to selection.
And it turns out that England were brave enough to roll the dice for Saturday’s meeting against Grand Slam-chasing Ireland, with winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso set to make his first Test start.
The Exeter flyer has gone from playing in National One for Taunton Titans to being tasked with bringing a spark to a developing England attack.
As the 20-year-old’s former Taunton coach Tony Yapp told TRU: “He’s a great broken-field runner, he’s strong and very physical, got great footwork and he’s quick.”
Feyi-Waboso's try-scoring cameo off the bench in England’s 30-21 loss to Scotland two weeks ago was one of the few plus points for Steve Borthwick's side, but the youngster’s display - along with the attributes highlighted by Yapp - have earnt him a start at Twickenham.
Elsewhere, another takeaway from England’s selection is the return of Leicester Tigers lock George Martin.
The 22-year-old man mountain displayed his international credentials in England’s World Cup semi-final defeat against South Africa last October and following his return from injury, Borthwick has turned to Martin at the first real, available opportunity.
Speaking last week, the forward said he had been working on ‘causing destruction at the breakdown’ and being more ‘effective and abrasive in contact’ so it should be a compelling head-to-head between him and the impressive Joe McCarthy on Saturday.
Martin’s inclusion sees him partner Maro Itoje in the second row while clubmate Ollie Chessum has been pushed into the back-row.
Other talking points include a milestone for Danny Care, who is set to become the latest England player to gain 100 Test caps.
The scrum-half is amongst the replacements on Saturday - with Alex Mitchell taking the No.9 shirt after recovering from a knee injury - but if Borthwick’s side are chasing the game or find themselves needing to close out the match, Care’s quality - on what will be a special afternoon for the 37-year-old - will undoubtedly shine through.
“I’d like to pay special tribute to Danny Care who will win his 100th cap at Twickenham on Saturday,” Borthwick said.
“Danny has been a tremendous servant to English rugby and reaching this milestone is an incredible achievement. He’s a wonderful player and someone who always puts the team first. I’m sure Saturday will be an emotional and memorable day for Danny and his family, and the team couldn’t be prouder of his accomplishment.”
For Care, it has been an up-and-down international career but one of his biggest highs in an England shirt might be from a decade ago when he scored the winning try against Ireland at Twickenham to secure a 13-10 triumph.
He will be hoping his big day can be accompanied by a historic England win, even if Borthwick’s troops are 7/2 to be victorious.
Care is joined on the bench by Quins teammates Alex Dombrant, Joe Marler, Chandler Cunningham-South, and perhaps more notably, the fit-again Marcus Smith.
My final standout theme from England’s starting XV is Northampton Saints’ George Furbank retaining his place at full-back.
The playmaking skills of Furbank - who did score England’s well-worked opening try at Murrayfield - might have given him the edge over Freddie Steward again, but this time out, he will be up against one of the world’s best in Ireland’s Hugo Keenan.
Whether England’s latest formula can garner a better performance than what they produced against Scotland, we’ll have to wait and see but they certainly won’t die wondering.
England: Furbank; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Lawrence, Freeman; Ford, Mitchell; Genge, George (capt), Cole, Itoje, Martin, Chessum, Underhill, Earl.
Replacements: Dan, Marler, Stuart, Cunningham-South, Dombrandt, Care, M Smith, Daly.
Ireland: H Keenan; C Nash, R Henshaw, B Aki, J Lowe; J Crowley, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, D Sheehan, T Furlong; J McCarthy, T Beirne, P O'Mahony (capt), J van der Flier, C Doris.
Replacements: R Kelleher, C Healy, F Bealham, I Henderson, R Baird, J Conan, C Murray, C Frawley.
