England have gone early in announcing their team for Ireland on Saturday in the Six Nations with Cadan Murley making his debut on the wing and Tom Curry lining up alongside his twin brother Ben Curry in the back-row.
Steve Borthwick was set to name his squad on Thursday, but has opted to go earlier in the week. The key selection calls see Murley earn his first cap on the wing, Marcus Smith starting at fly-half, Luke Cowan-Dickie getting the nod at hooker and the Curry brothers in the back-row.
Elsewhere, Tom Willis will hope to win his second England cap from the bench where he's named with Ollie Chessum.
One of the big question marks over England's team for their opener in Dublin this weekend was at fly-half. Borthwick had Fin Smith, Marcus Smith and George Ford all in the mix, but Borthwick has opted for continuity.
Marcus Smith, the Harlequins fly-half, had started England's last seven matches at fly-half and despite thoughts he may being at fullback, he retains the No. 10 jersey with Freddie Steward at No. 15.
There were also question marks over who Borthwick would go for on the wing, and he's opted for Harlequins' Murley with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso sidelined. Elsewhere, Tom Curry is at blindside, his twin brother Ben is at openside and Ben Earl is at No. 8.
It will be the first time the Curry twins have been on the field for England in a Test match at the same time.
England head to Dublin off the back of a tough 2024 where they won just five of their 12 Tests.
There's a new feel to this group in 2025, with Maro Itoje leading the side, having taken on the captaincy from Jamie George ahead of this Six Nations.
George was named in the squad for the championship, but suffered a hamstring injury on the eve of the tournament so is absent for Saturday's match, while Sam Underhill, Feyi-Waboso and George Furbank are also sidelined.
But in an injury boost for Borthwick, Alex Mitchell and Ollie Chessum both recover from injuries and are named having missed the November Tests.
In the pack, Ellis Genge, Cowan-Dickie and Will Stuart form the front-row. George Martin partners Itoje in the second-row, while Tom Curry, Ben Curry and Earl form the back-row. Mitchell partners Smith at half-back, with Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade continuing in the centres. Murley, Tommy Freeman and Steward are the back three.
On the bench, Theo Dan, Fin Baxter, Joe Heyes, Chessum, Chandler Cunningham-South, Willis, Harry Randall and Fin Smith are all named. For Saracens back-row Willis, he'll be looking to add to his sole cap, which came in England's World Cup warm-up against Wales in 2023.
"We're looking forward to the challenge of facing the tournament favourites," Borthwick said.
"We know it'll be a tough contest against a team that's very familiar with each other. We'll need to work tirelessly and maintain our discipline from the first whistle to the last.
"England versus Ireland in Dublin is a huge occasion, and we'll be ready to face it head-on."
Analysis:
This is a bold selection from Borthwick, and not what we expected in the back-row. It looked for all the world like Ollie Chessum was going to be back at blindside, Tom Curry at openside and Ben Earl at No.8. But Chessum has played just an hour of game time for Leicester since injuring his knee in October.
So, this is Borthwick loading his bench with plenty of physicality for the second half, as he opts for a 6-2 split between forwards and backs. Tom Willis will look to stake his claim to become an England regular after establishing himself as one of the form back-rowers in the Gallagher Premiership and he'll pack plenty of punch alongside his fellow replacements, but there's a surprise on the wing, where there's a debut for Cadan Murley.
The Quins flyer has been frequently in and around the squad, but has always missed out. In the autumn, it was Ollie Sleightholme and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso who were preferred on the wing. With Sleightholme an injury doubt heading into Saturday and Feyi-Waboso out with shoulder surgery, it looked like it'd be between Elliot Daly, Tom Roebuck and Murley for that spot remaining spot in the back three.In the end the Quins man won out.
Elsewhere, the decision to go with Freddie Steward at fullback means England will be preparing to battle in the air, while looking to the half-back partnership of Alex Mitchell and Marcus Smith to bring them composure and class in the middle of the field.
Borthwick was meant to name his squad on Thursday. But his decision to go early means England are confident, and trying to tell Ireland they are comfortable in their own skin and ready to face whatever is thrown at them in Dublin on Saturday.
England:
Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Will Stuart, Maro Itoje, George Martin, Tom Curry, Ben Curry, Ben Earl, Alex MItchell, Marcus Smith, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Tommy Freeman, Cadan Murley, Freddie Steward.
Replacements: Theo Dan, Fin Baxter, Joe Heyes, Ollie Chessum, Chandler Cunningham-South, Tom Willis, Harry Randall, Fin Smith.
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