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Rugby World Cup diary: England make ten changes for United States clash
Scotland suffer double injury blow with Ali Price and Hamish Watson ruled out of the tournament
After the 35-3 win over Tonga Jones makes ten changes to his selection with only five players remaining from the line-up that featured in the pool C opener.
George Ford will captain the side while Billy Vunipola, Tom Curry, Elliot Daly and Joe Marler retain their places.
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The players to come into the team are centres Jonathan Joseph and Piers Francis, wingers Ruaridh McConnochie and Joe Cokanasiga, scrum-half Willi Heinz, second rows George Kruis and Joe Launchbury, flanker Lewis Ludlam, front row Luke Cowan-Dickie and prop Dan Cole, who wins his 91st Test cap.
Captain Owen Farrell is on the bench but there is no place in the matchday squad for Henry Slade. Mako Vunipola and Jack Nowell remain on the injury list.
Jones said: “The four-day turnaround is something we experimented with against Japan last autumn and so the players have had some experience of it. You have to make sure the two days before the game are exactly the same as you would normally have for any other game.
“So for us, a short and fast run tomorrow and today is an active recovery day. What I see now is players handling it really well but the game on Thursday will be the litmus test.
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“It is our best 23 and we have looked at some players that would benefit not playing in this game so have kept them out of the 23. But it is a great opportunity for another set of players to do the team proud.”
Thursday’s pool C match between England and the United States will be held at the Kobe Misaki Stadium (11.45am BST, live on ITV).
England starting XV vs. United States
15 Elliot Daly, 14 Ruaridh McConnochie, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Piers Francis, 11 Joe Cokanasiga, 10 George Ford (captain), 9 Willi Heinz; 1 Joe Marler, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Joe Launchbury, 5 George Kruis, 6 Tom Curry, 7 Lewis Ludlam, 8 Billy Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Jack Singleton, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Courtney Lawes, 20 Mark Wilson, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Anthony Watson
Scotland scrum-half Ali Price has been ruled out of the rest of the Rugby World Cup after suffering a foot injury in Sunday’s 27-3 loss against Ireland.
Price is the latest injury blow for Scotland after Hamish Watson was also sidelined for the tournament because of a knee injury.
Price and Watson will be replaced by Henry Pyrgos and Magnus Bradbury respectively in the Scotland squad.
Head coach Gregor Townsend said: “We’re disappointed for Ali to have to return home so early in the tournament. Both Ali and Hamish had invested a lot of effort into being in their best physical shape for the World Cup and it’s a shame that they’ve only been involved in one game.
“However, we have a lot of belief in our wider group and the two new players, Magnus Bradbury and Henry Pyrgos, who have been given this opportunity.”
Scotland’s next match is a pool A fixture against Samoa on Monday 30 September (8.15am BST).
Davies replaces Hill in Wales squad
Wales have also suffered an injury blow with second row Cory Hill failing to recover from a stress fracture of his fibula. He will be replaced in the squad by Bradley Davies.
The Welsh Rugby Union said: “Cory Hill has been released from Wales’ 2019 Rugby World Cup squad after being unable to recover significantly from a stress fracture of his fibula. He will return to Wales and continue his recovery with his region.
“Bradley Davies, capped 65 times by Wales and who has featured in two previous Rugby World Cups, has been named as his injury replacement and will arrive in Japan on Wednesday.”
