England coach Stuart Lancaster made two changes to his squad for Saturday’s Six Nations match against Ireland at Twickenham.
Bath tight-head prop David Wilson replaces Dan Cole, who suffered a season-ending neck injury, while the uncapped fly-half George Ford comes in for Brad Barritt on the bench.
Wilson, who picked up a calf injury last December and suffered back problems, has played only 47 minutes with his club over the past two months.
“We have been forced into one change and we wish Dan Cole all the best for his recovery,” Lancaster said. “However, David Wilson is an experienced international with 31 caps and he showed in his three starts against Argentina last year what he can do.”
Lancaster confirmed that Cole, who is suffering from a bulging disc that is trapping a nerve, will be rested for three months before being reassessed.
The inclusion of Ford will give Lancaster more options at fly half.
“We’ve made an active decision to go with George Ford on the bench as we believe that he is ready for the next step in his development and we are confident he will make an impression should he come on,” Lancaster said.
After losing their opening game in France, England recovered with a 20-0 win over Scotland at Murrayfield and are playing at home for the first time on Saturday against grand slam-chasing Ireland.
“We are excited about being back at our home after two games on the road,” Lancaster said. “The Twickenham crowd during the November internationals was superb and I’m sure it’ll be the same again on Saturday.”
England line-up
Mike Brown, Jack Nowell, Luther Burrell, Billy Twelvetrees, Jonny May, Owen Farrell, Danny Care, Joe Marler, Dylan Hartley, David Wilson, Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes, Tom Wood, Chris Robshaw, Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: Tom Youngs, Mako Vunipola, Henry Thomas, Dave Attwood, Ben Morgan, Lee Dickson, George Ford, Alex Goode.
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