Steve Borthwick leaves out eight players who featured in Saturday’s defeat to Wales
That Marchant can also play on the wing – he finished Saturday’s match there – has worked in his favour with Borthwick preferring power and versatility rather than Slade’s sleight of hand. It also suggests Manu Tuilagi and Ollie Lawrence are in for busy tournaments and could be paired together for the first time against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.
All of the secondrows are also options at blindside flanker. Pearson, who endured a mixed debut in Cardiff, has been edged out while the absence of a second specialist No 8 seems a gamble given Vunipola has been rehabbing from a knee injury sustained in April. It was a similar story in 2019 when Mark Wilson eventually acted as the stand-in.
Elliot Daly is another who can play multiple positions and he is joined in the back-three ranks by Anthony Watson, Freddie Steward, Max Malins and Arundell. The latter has started only once for England – a largely forgettable appearance against Ireland – but while Borthwick has filled the majority of his squad with grafters, Arundell has an X-factor that England will welcome.
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