Marcus Smith is set to start at full back for England when they take on Chile on Saturday, with Owen Farrell returning at No 10, according to reports.
Captain Farrell had been sitting out the last four games after being shown a red card in a warm-up game for England against Wales, but comes straight back into the fold for Steve Borthwick’s side.
England had won their first two games of the tournament, with George ford playing a prominent role against Argentina in particular, but now drops to the bench.
In England’s opener, Ford kicked all 27 of his side’s points as they secured an important statement victory having come into the tournament in France under heavy pressure following a desperate run of form.
The idea of having the Ford-Farrell axis at 10 and 12 is still something that Borthwick’s coaching staff are thought to be considering, according to the Telegraph, but will only come in the second half.
Marcus Smith will start against Chile at full back after sitting on the bench for the first two games
The Chile clash will mark the first time Smith has started a game at full back, either for his club Harlequins or for England, but he has featured their from the bench in the first two matches.
With England having struggled for fluency in attack against both Argentina and Japan, potentially having three fly halves on the field in the second half could see their creativity flourish.
Attack coach Richard Wigglesworth hinted on Monday that England could experiment with their three play-makers in the backroom staff’s tactical plans in France.
‘It’s not unthinkable but it is about what else is around them,’ he said. ‘If we have absolute runners around them and that is their skill set we want to upskill as many guides as possible to see the picture early and be able to execute things.
‘So I don’t think it is unthinkable, but you have to have a balance around them. We also have Elliot Daly who can run and pass as well, but it is making the balance right. If you do that, it is not unthinkable.
‘I also think that we will develop as the tournament goes on. We have been working incredibly hard to get it right.’
Stand-in skipper Courtney Lawes, who had been deputising for the suspended Farrell so far at the tournament, is understood to be rested for the game against Chile in Lille.
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