HE has talked a lot about changing things — but there was a familiar look about the 23 players named by new head coach Eddie Jones to represent England against Scotland on Saturday.
All but four of the 23 were in England’s World Cup squad and one of them is new captain Dylan Hartley, who missed the tournament for disciplinary reasons. There are also no debutants in the starting XV, though Jack Clifford, Paul Hill and Ollie Devoto should win their first caps off the bench.
In picking a side containing 512 caps, Jones has made it clear that he preferred experience over aspiration for the Calcutta Cup match.
Perhaps a little nonplussed at being asked if his selection policy is conservative, Jones said: “Selection is about picking the best 23 for the game and we feel this is the best 23 for this game.
“You can describe it any way you want but our mission is to go up there and win the Calcutta Cup. This is not about giving people opportunities — it is about winning Test matches.
“The pressure is on the team to play well. If we are good enough we will win the game. If we are not good enough we will not win.
“I am not looking at a different England team. I started two months ago with a clean sheet of paper. I have selected a team to play a certain way against Scotland.
“We know that Murrayfield will be a tough old affair — it always is. The forecast is for rain and strong winds. Ball movement will be difficult, so we have picked what we see as the right 23. The stats show you need around 560 caps to be Six Nations champions. We have got 512. Experience is always going to be important.”
Jones announced the appointment of three vice-captains to support Hartley. They are centre Owen Farrell, full-back Mike Brown and number eight Billy Vunipola.
Jones said: “When you look at people to support your captain, you are looking at a variety of characters in a variety of positions and I think they will work well.
“Billy is a young guy who has not had a lot of leadership responsibilities but is a really key player at number eight. Owen is as tough as nails, a really good speaker. Mike Brown is more of a quiet, assassin type and a very committed guy. I think those three guys have a nice blend.”
Jones responded bluntly when asked about a claim made by Scotland’s New-Zealand born wing Sean Maitland that he hates the English. The coach responded drily: “Brainwashing is a fantastic thing. Whose hand was behind his back?”
England: Mike Brown; Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Owen Farrell, Jack Nowell; George Ford, Danny Care; Joe Marler, Dylan Hartley (captain), Dan Cole, Joe Launchbury, George Kruis, Chris Robshaw, James Haskell, Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: Jamie George, Mako Vunipola, Paul Hill, Courtney Lawes, Jack Clifford, Ben Youngs, Alex Goode, Ollie Devoto.
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