Eddie Jones wields axe and drops centre Jonathan Joseph from England squad to face Italy
England head coach Eddie Jones will field a new-look midfield against Italy at Twickenham on Sunday after axing Bath centre Jonathan Joseph from his training squad.
The favourite to fill the void left by Joseph, who has played in all 15 Tests under Jones, is Wasps utility back Elliot Daly, having featured on the wing for the past four matches.
Daly could partner Owen Farrell at centre. Another option if Jones opts to shuffle his pack further is Farrell at fly-half and Worcester’s Ben Te’o at inside centre alongside Daly. That would mean George Ford dropping to the bench.
Jones last night retained a 24-man squad for the clash with Italy which included prop Mako Vunipola and Anthony Watson, who both return to the fold after injury.
Saracens loosehead Vunipola had been sidelined since December with knee ligament damage before turning out for his club side against Gloucester at Kingsholm on Friday. Watson is back in contention following a hamstring problem.
England are set to name their starting XV for the clash with Italy tomorrow and another selection issue for Jones is whether skipper Dylan Harltey or Jamie George starts at hooker.
George replaced Hartley, who missed six weeks of action immediately prior to the tournament through suspension, after 46 minutes against Wales in Cardiff earlier this month.
Forwards coach Steve Borthwick believes the duo’s competitive edge is pushing the other to a new height. He said: “I think having that competition means that standards are driven and that players are always looking to improve; those two players definitely do that.”