Former Queensland State of Origin forward Ben Te’o will make his first start for England in Sunday’s Six Nations clash against Italy at Twickenham.
Te’o looked impressive off the bench in England’s tournament opening victories over France, in which he scored the match-winning try, and against Wales, and was handed a debut start by coach Eddie Jones on Friday after earning five caps as a replacement.
Jonny May returns on the right wing, Danny Care replaces Ben Youngs as starting scrumhalf and James Haskell is recalled at openside flanker.
Prop Mako Vunipola has returned from a lengthy knee injury layoff to earn a place on the bench.
There had been speculation that Owen Farrell could switch to his club position of flyhalf but he remains at inside centre in a muscular midfield and will earn his 50th cap, having made his debut at the start of the 2012 Six Nations.
Te’o, 30, was born in New Zealand with a Samoan father and English mother.
He moved to Australia as a teenager and forged an impressive career in rugby league in the NRL with Brisbane and South Sydney and also played for Samoa.
In 2014 he switched codes after helping Souths win the NRL premiership, joining Irish province Leinster, before moving again to English Premiership club Worcester at the start of this season.
“He’s a different sort of player, Ben,” Jones told reporters.
“Our backs have been predominantly passing players and we just felt that it would give us another option to play a ball-runner in there. It’s a great opportunity to see if he can be another option for us at 13.
“We know we’ve got Jonathan Joseph, who’s a very good player, we know Elliot Daly can play there very well and we want to have a third option.”
Haskell, who missed the first half of the season after toe surgery, has made a real impact as one of Jones’s bench “finishers” and now gets the chance to reclaim the number seven shirt.
“We are sure his explosive actions will help us in the first part of the game,” Jones said.
“His fitness levels have encouraged us to start him and he’s raring to go. He’s a 31-year-old looking 13.”
England, on a 16-match winning streak and targeting back-to-back grand slams, will expect a hefty bonus-point win over Italy, a side they have beaten in all 22 previous meetings by an average margin of almost 30 points.
The Italians were thumped by Wales and Ireland in their opening home games and have yet to score a second-half point this year.
“Italy haven’t had a great tournament up to date but we respect them greatly,” Jones said. “We know they are going to come to Twickenham and play their best game of the tournament, as every team does against England.”
Loyal
Guest
Get a grip FunBus hahaha. How old are you? 6? No need to get mad. But then you cant get even on the rugby field...so feel free to get mad if it helps you little one. You will grow up one day...hopefully!
Loyal
Guest
Sarcasm is not your forte, isn't it FunBus? It takes two to tango
FunBus
Roar Rookie
How old are you, mate? 12? I've got this vision of you sitting in your underpants in your little bedroom tapping away only breaking off to do the occasional Haka in front of the mirror.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
Sarcasm's not your thing, is it Loyal. There's always one Kiwi who bites on the 'Welsh coach talks about Eskimo', line
Loyal
Guest
England beat the All Blacks once every 10 years...so they are not due to win against the men in black until 2022
Loyal
Guest
The pain of losing is clouding your judgment FunBus. You are making assumptions. Your pain is massive
Loyal
Guest
FunBus...you are still in pain. Try some medicine
Loyal
Guest
You mean the "master" who won the 2011 WRC? Wales did not have the cattle when Henry was coach. Have you guys won anything of note lately? You are still sore FunBus...its hurting you bigtime, huh?
FunBus
Roar Rookie
Personally, I think the 'record' is fairly meaningless. England aren't even the number 1 team in the world at the moment let alone some spurious comparison with all other eras. The ABs have been near that record a number of times over the last decade, which is far more significant and noteworthy. Similarly, The England team of 2002-2003 played 24 straight and the only one they didn't win was a 1-point loss in a RWC warm-up game in Marseilles where an England second team (Woodward was giving his extended squad a run) lost to the French first team. The following week at Twickenham the first team put 40 on the French. This England team are nowhere near (yet) that England team, and would lose at the moment (all things being reasonably equal) to the current NZ team.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
I find it tiresome as well. Richard. If you look back through the thread it came up because an initial discussion about the England backline potential was diverted by a couple of Kiwis throwing in cheap jibes and then clutching their pearls when they got a bit of blowback. But, seeing as we're on the subject. The Cully article is superficial drivel. He starts, clearly, with a passionate aching desire to paint England as serial 'poachers' and then conflates every possible factor to reach his pre-determined conclusion. So people like the Vunipola brothers who have been in Britain since they were small children and Hartley who has an English mother and been in England since he was 16, are seen as somehow 'poaches'. My favourite though is that 'it wouldn't surprise' Cully if players like Woodward and Marshall began to 'interest' Eddie Jones. It's a bit like me saying it wouldn't surprise me if Hansen poached Piers Francis. England don't 'poach'. Not because they're better than anyone else, but because the system makes it impossible. There are no central contracts (and schools don't scour the South seas offering 'scholarships'). The RFU rules are anyone who plays in the Aviva Premiership and is eligible under World Rugby rules can be selected for England. However, they've offered their support to World Rugby to extend the period of qualification. It would have virtually no effect on England (which is probably why they're so relaxed about it). Any sensible reform to the eligibility rules, even if applied retrospectively, wouldn't cause England any significant problems in terms of diluting the team.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
I think you mean Stephen Jones has in the past 'banged on about it' Jonesey, a Welshman, must laugh himself to sleep every night about how far he seems to have burrowed below NZ's collective thin skin. If your claim that the NH 'poaches' players fully formed by the NZ system is meant to include England than that's nonsense. Ben T'eo (with an English mother) left NZ to play League in Australia at the age of 17. I suppose you could just about include Nathan Hughes (the only player in the England squad who qualifies on the 3-year residency rule), but his is an interesting story. I think he made his senior debut off the bench in the ITM cup in February 2013 and Wasps signed him in March. Of course, the only reason the Fiji-born Hughes was in NZ in the first place was that he'd been 'scouted' in Fiji and offered a scholarship to play rugby by a Kiwi school. Perhaps these scholarships are available to overweight asthmatic kids in Fiji. If so I recommend they all take one.
ebop
Guest
What about a coach from the U20s? Pretty pisss poor for a country like England having to rely on an Aussie given how amazing England are.
richard
Guest
You see,that is bs.If we get beaten,the country does not collapse as you would like to believe.What does happen,is kiwis will analyze the game and then comment on it.Why? because its the national sport and they care.No different to any other country.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Yes Ive said all along I hope they get the record, because it's actually then useless to the holder of it. It's a useful tool for the ABs when they have no trophies to win such as the AIs and right now it's an ideal time to start chasing it again with the build up to the World Cup. The count has been on many times in the past 10 years with a few times into the teens and I think it's one of the tools that has steered them well from a motivational perspective. I think there should be a trophy and monetary incentive for it though, a handover would be nice when the two teams next meet.
richard
Guest
tman,I just find the whole poaching thing tiresome.You might want to read the latest article by Paul Cully on Stuff.An interesting take on the whole "poaching" palaver with special reference to NZ.Worth a look.
richard
Guest
Will be interesting to see how it pans out.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Not about the blood. Bit like fruit really, some like to plant the seed and grow and nurture their own, others go to the markets. Unfortunately, some are plucked from the tree and sent to market before they're ripe.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Dunno, don't think the attack levels are close to the Canes, they were on fire against this defence, which also wont be as good as Italy's. I see a 40's to 50s type score rather than a 70. But who knows, Te'o might just have that real sniff for the line again, over and over...?
richard
Guest
Yes,it all counts,and I say this as a kiwi.If England get the record,good for them.Seriously,who really cares if England get the record or not.Even if they do,another team will come along someday and take their record.So why is it being made into such an issue.
richard
Guest
So what.The NH is always banging on about NZ using island players.The difference is most of those kids have come here with their families as immigrants.And then gone through the NZ system.As opposed to the NH,who wait until our players are fully developed in the NZ system and then poach them.For all that,I agree with you on Fekitoa and Naholo. As an aside,which country do you think supplied the most players to other teams in the last RWC - you guessed it - NZ.,with something like 38 players representing other countries.