Tom Curry has been backed to start two weeks after suffering a second concussion of the season as Steve Borthwick names a strong England team to take on Japan.
Borthwick’s side are still seeking the first win of their Autumn Nations Series as they play their final fixture, and the head coach has resisted the urge to rotate, naming a first-choice starting fifteen.
Curry returns on the blindside in flanker partnership with Sam Underhill as Chandler Cunningham-South drops out of an otherwise unchanged pack.
Full-back George Furbank returns in the place of Freddie Steward while Marcus Smith continues at fly half, with George Ford not included in the squad.
Young prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour is set for a debut on the bench, with the Sale starlet set to feature on his preferred tighthead side having previously been seen by the England set-up as a loosehead.
“There are stringent measures in terms of the players return to play,” Borthwick explained of Curry’s return. The welfare of players is paramount.
“He’s gone through all those protocols, a number of different consultations, independent specialist consultations. He feels great, he’s raring to go. The process has been very thorough.”
A relatively settled side reflects England’s situation ahead of a game they will be expected to win by a distance.
After an autumn of near misses, Borthwick gives his regular starters another opportunity to right some wrongs.
With Japan among the fastest attacking sides in the world, the England boss has prioritised mobility and breakdown acumen in a back row that reunites Curry and Underhill for the first time since the third place play-off at last year’s World Cup.
The pair were memorably dubbed the “Kamikaze Kids” by Eddie Jones after playing a key role in England’s run to the 2019 final. Jones faces England at Twickenham this weekend for the first time since his sacking late in 2022.
“I think it’s a back row that’s got a lot of speed in it,” Borthwick said of his selection. We want to play fast, Japan want to play fast. So there’s a lot of athleticism in that back row and I’m looking forward to seeing them work together this weekend.
“I’ve talked at length about the need for continuity as one element of its selection. I think we’ve moved on in terms of the transition of the team to a younger group of players very quickly this year.”
Opoku-Fordjour is one of a young crop of props that England are excited about who helped steer the U20s to World Championship triumph in South Africa in the summer.
The 20-year-old was released from camp last week to feature for England ‘A’ in their win over Australia, and his ability to play on both sides of the scrum is considered a real asset.
“The very first training session Asher was part of, he certainly took no step backwards. He really went out in the session and I think everybody in the squad saw what a competitive player this guy is.
“I think he ended up with a load of stitches over one eye, with a dead leg. He throws himself into it and that impresses absolutely everybody in the squad.”
England team to face Japan at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (4.10pm, Sunday 24 November)
1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George (captain), 3 Will Stuart; 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Martin; 6 Tom Curry, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Ben Earl; 9 Jack van Poortvliet, 10 Marcus Smith; 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 12 Henry Slade, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 14 Tommy Freeman; 15 George Furbank.
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South; 21 Harry Randall, 22 Fin Smith, 23 Tom Roebuck.
