Lawes leads England against Springboks as Marchant earns surprise call on wing
almost 4 years in The guardian
Courtney Lawes takes over captaincy from injured Owen FarrellCentre Joe Marchant leapfrogs Malins and Radwan into 14 jerseyCourtney Lawes will captain England against South Africa on Saturday in the absence of the injured Owen Farrell while Joe Marchant will make a first appearance of the autumn on the right wing. Eddie Jones has also been forced into selecting a rookie front row with Bevan Rodd and Jamie Blamire making only their second England starts with Joe Marler, who is not due to come out of isolation until later on Thursday, named on the bench.Lawes was the favourite for the captaincy, having led the side against Tonga when Farrell was also absent, but Marchant’s selection on the right wing is somewhat of a surprise. As expected, Marcus Smith continues at fly-half with Manu Tuilagi reverting to inside-centre and Henry Slade retaining the No13 jersey. Rather than opt for Adam Radwan or Max Malins on the wing, however, Jones has opted for Marchant, who normally plies his trade at centre, in an echo of last week’s selection. Continue reading...