Eddie Jones bolsters his forward pack for clash with South Africa as bullish coach calls on England to ‘light up’ Twickenham crowd against the reigning world champions
- Eddie Jones has made four changes to his England side to face South Africa
- The hosts put in a ‘pulsating’ performance to draw with New Zealand last week
- Now Jones has called on England to ‘light up’ the Twickenham crowd
Tommy Freeman has been drafted in as one of four changes for England’s series finale against South Africa.
The young winger has taken over from Jack Nowell, while Eddie Jones has also shuffled his pack to take on the Springbok bomb squad.
Mako Vunipola has replaced Ellis Genge in the front row, with Jamie George starting ahead of Luke Cowan Dickie at hooker.
Eddie Jones has made four changes to his England side to take on South Africa on Saturday
Forming a triple lineout threat, rangy forward Alex Coles has been handed the No6 jersey ahead of Sam Simmonds.
‘This is our last game of the autumn and our chance to continue building on the improvements we have made throughout the matches,’ said head coach Eddie Jones, whose side drew with the All Blacks last week.
‘We have made steady progress from game-to-game, culminating in a pulsating draw against New Zealand.
‘Now we have the chance to test ourselves against the might of the world champions.
‘We’re going out there to light the crowd up. The support at Twickenham was outstanding last week and we want to work hard on the pitch to make sure we have another atmosphere like that again on Saturday.’
Freeman will join Jonny May and Freddie Steward in the back-three.
Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell will maintain their 10-12 combination, with Manu Tuilagi primed to win his 50th cap at outside centre.
Mako Vunipola has been roped in to bolster up England’s forward pack against the Proteas
Jones called on his England side to ‘light up’ the Twickenham crowd against the world champs
ENGLAND XV
15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 16 caps)
14. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 2 caps)
13. Manu Tuilagi (Sale Sharks, 49 caps)
12. Owen Farrell (C) (Saracens, 100 caps)
11. Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby, 71 caps)
10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 16 caps)
9. Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers, 6 caps)
1. Mako Vunipola (Saracens, 73 caps)
2. Jamie George (Saracens, 71 caps)
3. Kyle Sinckler (Bristol Bears, 55 caps)
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 61 caps)
5. Jonny Hill (Sale Sharks, 18 caps)
6. Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 2 caps)
7. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 44 caps)
8. Billy Vunipola (Saracens, 67 caps)
FINISHERS
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, 40 caps)
17. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 42 caps)
18. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 24 caps)
19. David Ribbans (Northampton Saints, 2 caps)
20. Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs, 17 caps)
21. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 120 caps)
22. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 51 caps)
23. Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs, 44 caps)
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