Thursday 3 October 2019 14:41, UK
England head coach Eddie Jones has included Mako Vunipola and Jack Nowell in his 23-man squad to face Argentina at the World Cup.
Vunipola (hamstring) and Nowell (ankle) have both recovered from long-term injuries to make the squad for Saturday's match in Tokyo, although the pair will start on the bench as England look to make it three wins from three in Pool C.
Jones has reverted to his strongest starting XV after rotating his squad for the 45-7 win over the United States.
He has made one change to the side that beat Tonga 35-3 in their opening match, with the selection of George Kruis ahead of Courtney Lawes in the second row.
George Ford starts at fly-half while Owen Farrell captains the side at inside-centre, alongside outside-centre Manu Tuilagi.
Elliot Daly, Jonny May and Anthony Watson make up the back three, while Ben Youngs is set to become the third most capped player for England with 92 appearances.
Joe Marler, Jamie George and Kyle Sinckler are named in the front row with Kruis and Maro Itoje as the lock pairing.
Tom Curry, Sam Underhill and Billy Vunipola will start in the back row.
"We are in Tokyo for the first time and the players are excited to be here and have had a good week's preparation so far," said Jones.
"We know Argentina are a very good team and our players will be ready for the game.
"Argentina is a completely different team from others we have played so far in the pool stages and are always about the physical contest.
"This week it's about getting our game right, our set piece in a good place and making sure defensively we are organised and ready to find ways to score points against them."
England: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Owen Farrell (c), 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Joe Marler, 2 Jamie George, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Kruis, 6 Tom Curry, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Courtney Lawes, 20 Lewis Ludlam, 21 Willi Heinz, 22 Henry Slade, 23 Jack Nowell.
Shinjuku Tokyo is where England are based this week. It is famous for its hustle and bustle, noise and colour - a stark contrast to its visitors, England, where there is a calmness in the camp, a clarity amongst the squad and a distinct lack of drama.
Rarely has an Eddie Jones team announcement been so predictable, some in the press room went as far as to say boring. This England team is almost picking itself.
George Kruis is in for Courtney Lawes to combat Argentina's threat at the lineout and Jack Nowell and Mako Vunipola are named on the bench having recovered from injury. It was a day when the news was that there was no real news.
This is very strange given the many times Jones' selections have bamboozled us.
After numerous players being tried and tested, all the ups and downs of the last three-and-a-half years, the questions over leadership and midfield and back-row combinations, Jones seems to have found the answers (some he admitted, like the midfield question, by an experiment that paid off) he has been looking for just in time.
Jones said do not be fooled by the look of stability. There is plenty bubbling away underneath - he never wants his players to feel too settled or comfortable for long.
That is perhaps why he loves Tokyo so much - that and the sushi that he says is the best in the world. It is hard to ever feel too settled or too comfortable here, it is chaotic, bright and loud - it is simply bonkers.
The players have loved it, they could not wait to get out and about after their media duties were done on Thursday.
Jamie George - the social secretary along with Elliot Daly - had a Tokyo hitlist including everything from robots and 100-yen shops to Michelin-starred restaurants.
So far they have taken all that Japan has thrown at them in their stride but that calmness and that clarity faces a thunderous challenge on Saturday in the shape of Argentina whose Rugby World Cup is on the line.
