Lock Courtney Lawes, loose-head prop Mako Vunipola and scrum-half Ben Youngs come in for Joe Launchbury, Joe Marler and Danny Care respectively.
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“I believe this is the strongest 23 to go to Rome and get the performance and result we want.” said head coach Eddie Jones.
Eddie Jones has dropped Joe Marler and Joe Launchbury to the bench for England’s trip to face Italy on Sunday.
“Maro has consistently impressed me this week and, together with his excellent club form, has deserved his call up to the matchday squad”, Jones said.
After getting his regime off to a steady start with a 15-9 win in Scotland Jones, in a rare proclamation of bullish confidence by a coach, said it was time for England to give Italy a good hiding.
“It has been an intense week of training and I am pleased with how the group have responded to some of the things we’ve asked them to do”, Jones said.
Italy coach Jacques Brunel has made only two changes from the side that gave France a scare in a 23-21 defeat at the Stade de France last week.
“We want to be absolutely brutal up front so there is no Italian player left standing at the end of the game. And I’m confident the players have got that right”. “Eddie has worked with the best in the likes of George Gregan and Fourie du Preez and I am trying to tap into his huge amount of knowledge”, says Youngs.
“We’re facing a totally different team from last week: one that, in the first two phases, we’ll try to use the pack to push the team forward and open up the game”.
England beat Scotland 15-9 in their opening clash at Murrayfield last Saturday and next take on Italy in the Stadio Olimpico.
“We go there knowing we have a job to do and we have to just go out there and play”. We’re not set by tradition, so next week we might go seven-one.
England team to face Italy: Mike Brown, Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Owen Farrell, Jack Nowell, George Ford, Ben Youngs, Mako Vunipola, Dylan Hartley, Dan Cole, Courtney Lawes, George Kruis, Chris Robshaw, James Haskell, Billy Vunipola.
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Replacements: J George (Saracens), J Marler (Harlequins), P Hill (Northampton), J Launchbury (Wasps), M Itoje (Saracens), J Clifford (Harlequins), D Care (Harlequins), A Goode (Saracens).
