England Captain Itoje Starts on Bench in Emotional Opener

News Desk 

London: England captain Maro Itoje will start on the bench for Saturday’s Six Nations opener against Wales at Twickenham.

Itoje, who is grieving the loss of his mother Florence, will see Saracens teammate Jamie George, himself a former England captain, lead the side. If Itoje takes the field during the match, he will assume captaincy duties.

Henry Arundell will make his first England start since the 2023 World Cup, lining up on the left wing.

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The 23-year-old’s previous appearance was in the bronze final against Argentina, but he had been unavailable due to Rugby Football Union rules preventing players at non-English clubs from Test selection. Now at Bath, Arundell made his England comeback as a replacement against Fiji in November.

England Team (15-1):

Freddie Steward; Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Henry Arundell; George Ford, Alex Mitchell; Ben Earl, Sam Underhill, Guy Pepper; Ollie Chessum, Alex Coles; Joe Heyes, Jamie George (capt), Ellis Genge

Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Bevan Rodd, Trevor Davison, Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Ben Spencer, Marcus Smith

Coach: Steve Borthwick