Owen Farrell will make just his third start under Eddie Jones at fly-half after being named in the England side that will face South Africa along with Ben Te’o and Henry Slade, with Manu Tuilagi only making the replacements and Chris Ashton left out completely.
Farrell has featured at inside centre in 24 of his 26 England appearances since the start of 2016, and the co-captain rekindles a British and Irish Lions partnership with Te’o, despite the Worcester Warriors centre playing just 28 minutes of rugby this season due to thigh and calf injuries.
With Slade in the No 13 shirt, Tuilagi has to make do with a place on the bench, though should he come on he will make his first England appearance since the 2016 Six Nations victory over Wales.
England’s autumn international squad
1/36 Ben Moon (Exeter Chiefs)
2/36 Alec Hepburn (Exeter Chiefs)
3/36 Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
4/36 Jamie George (Saracens)
5/36 Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs)
6/36 Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins)
7/36 Nick Schonert (Worcester Warriors)
8/36 Maro Itjoe (Saracens)
9/36 Charlie Ewels (Bath)
10/36
11/36 George Kruis (Saracens)
12/36 Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints)
13/36 Brad Shields (Wasps)
14/36 Mark Wilson (Newcastle Falcons)
15/36 Michael Rhodes (Saracens)
16/36 Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
17/36 Sam Underhill (Bath)
18/36 Zach Mercer (Bath)
19/36 Ben Morgan (Gloucester)
20/36 Ted Hill (Worcester Warriors)
21/36 Danny Care (Harlequins)
22/36 Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
23/36 Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens)
24/36 Owen Farrell (Saracens)
25/36 George Ford (Leicester Tigers)
26/36 Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers)
27/36 Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
28/36 Ben Te’o (Worcester Warriors)
29/36 Alex Lozowski (Saracens)
30/36 Nathan Earle (Harlequins)
31/36 Elliot Daly (Wasps)
32/36 Jonny May (Leicester Tigers)
33/36 Chris Ashton (Saracens)
34/36 Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs)
35/36 Joe Cokanasiga (Bath)
36/36 Mike Brown (Harlequins)
1/36 Ben Moon (Exeter Chiefs)
2/36 Alec Hepburn (Exeter Chiefs)
3/36 Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
4/36 Jamie George (Saracens)
5/36 Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs)
6/36 Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins)
7/36 Nick Schonert (Worcester Warriors)
8/36 Maro Itjoe (Saracens)
9/36 Charlie Ewels (Bath)
10/36
11/36 George Kruis (Saracens)
12/36 Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints)
13/36 Brad Shields (Wasps)
14/36 Mark Wilson (Newcastle Falcons)
15/36 Michael Rhodes (Saracens)
16/36 Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
17/36 Sam Underhill (Bath)
18/36 Zach Mercer (Bath)
19/36 Ben Morgan (Gloucester)
20/36 Ted Hill (Worcester Warriors)
21/36 Danny Care (Harlequins)
22/36 Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
23/36 Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens)
24/36 Owen Farrell (Saracens)
25/36 George Ford (Leicester Tigers)
26/36 Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers)
27/36 Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
28/36 Ben Te’o (Worcester Warriors)
29/36 Alex Lozowski (Saracens)
30/36 Nathan Earle (Harlequins)
31/36 Elliot Daly (Wasps)
32/36 Jonny May (Leicester Tigers)
33/36 Chris Ashton (Saracens)
34/36 Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs)
35/36 Joe Cokanasiga (Bath)
36/36 Mike Brown (Harlequins)
The Leicester Tigers centre is joined by club teammate George Ford on the bench, with the fly-half recalled to the match-day squad after being omitted from the third Test in South Africa due to Danny Cipriani’s presence. However, the selection of Farrell at fly-half appears to end Jones’ preference to select the two fly-halves in the 10-12 partnership, at least while he is missing a number of ball-carriers in the pack with Mako and Billy Vunipola, Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes, Chris Robshaw and Sam Simmonds all injured and Nathan Hughes suspended.
Jack Nowell is named on the right wing with Jonny May on the left, and with Elliot Daly at full-back there is no space for the returning Ashton in the match-day squad, meaning the 31-year-old’s four-year wait for an England return continues for at least another week.
As reported by The Independent, Dylan Hartley starts at hooker, but he is shy on experience in the pack as he the co-captain will win his 94th cap on Saturday, which is more than the rest of the forwards have combined.
The back-row conundrum sees Jones make a surprise call in naming Newcastle Falcons flanker Mark Wilson at No 8, with Brad Shields wearing six and Tom Curry at openside flanker, leaving 21-year-old uncapped back-row Zach Mercer among the replacements.
Maro Itoje joins George Kruis in the second-row, and with Charlie Ewels on the bench his Bath colleague Elliott Stooke is the other player discarded from the 25-man squad.
Alec Hepburn beats Exeter Chiefs teammate Ben Moon to loosehead prop, with Lions tourist Kyle Sinckler named at tighthead ahead of Harry Williams.
England squad to face South Africa
Elliot Daly; Jack Nowell, Henry Slade, Ben Te’o, Jonny May; Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs; Alec Hepburn, Dylan Hartley, Kyle Sinckler; Maro Itoje, George Kruis; Brad Shields, Tom Curry, Mark Wilson.
Replacements: Jamie George, Ben Moon, Harry Williams, Charlie Ewels, Zach Mercer, Danny Care, George Ford, Manu Tuilagi.
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