Morgan at No 8 for England

Mar 7 • General News, International, Six Nations • 2008 Views • Comments Off on Morgan at No 8 for England

ENGLAND have made two changes to their squad for Sunday’s RBS 6 Nations match against Wales at Twickenham Stadium.Ben Morgan (Gloucester Rugby, right) replaces the injured Billy Vunipola at No 8  to win his 19th cap, with Exeter Chiefs’ Tom Johnson coming on to the replacements’ bench.

England Head Coach Stuart Lancaster said: “Ben has made an impact off the bench in the previous games. He has been pushing hard for the No 8 shirt and now gets his opportunity so we are looking forward to seeing him from the start. Tom has been outstanding for Exeter Chiefs and gives us options off the bench as he has played in all three backrow positions for his club.

“We can’t wait to play at home again. The players have said that the atmosphere at Twickenham for the Ireland game was the best they had experienced and I am sure it will be the same again on Sunday. It definitely gives us an extra lift and that’s what we want against another experienced, high quality side, who are looking to defend their title.”

England (v Wales, RBS 6 Nations, Twickenham Stadium, Sunday, 3pm, live on BBC Sport)

15 Mike Brown (Harlequins, 24 caps)
14 Jack Nowell  (Exeter Chiefs, 3 caps)
13 Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints, 3 caps)
12 Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby, 11 caps)
11 Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby, 4 caps)
10 Owen Farrell (Saracens, 22 caps)
9 Danny Care (Harlequins, 45 caps)
1 Joe Marler (Harlequins, 18 caps)
2 Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints, 53 caps)
3 David Wilson (Bath Rugby, 32 caps)
4 Joe Launchbury (London Wasps, 17 caps)
5 Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, 28 caps)
6 Tom Wood (Northampton Saints, 26 caps)
7 Chris Robshaw (Harlequins, capt, 23 caps)
8 Ben Morgan (Gloucester Rugby, 18 caps)

Replacements

16 Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 15 caps)
17 Mako Vunipola (Saracens, 13 caps)
18 Henry Thomas (Sale Sharks, 4 caps)
19 Dave Attwood (Bath Rugby, 8 caps)
20 Tom Johnson (Exeter Chiefs, 5 caps)
21 Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints, 14 caps)
22 George Ford (Bath Rugby, uncapped)
23 Alex Goode (Saracens, 15 caps)

To watch Stuart Lancaster’s interview on team selection visit rfu.com

#carrythemhome
Thousands of messages of support have been received via #carrythemhome and 40 lucky England fans will have their words printed on the Twickenham tunnel wall as the players run out against Wales. The most inspiring tweet, chosen by Dylan Hartley, was sent by Nikki Bradley; “Show the world what it means to you to wear the rose. Be proud of your achievement; inspire a nation with your performance #CarryThemHome” Nikki attended a training session at Pennyhill Park today, where she delivered her message in person to the team, and collected two tickets to the game.

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