Owen Farrell omitted from England side to play Ireland in Rugby World Cup warm-up as disciplinary fallout continues
England captain Owen Farrell is out of the side to play Ireland
Owen Farrell has been left out of England head coach Steve Borthwick’s match day 23 to face Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.
Farrell was due to feature in the Rugby World Cup warm-up fixture but has now been removed by Borthwick due to World Rugby’s appeal against the disciplinary decision that saw his red card from England’s match against Wales overturned, putting his World Cup hopes in renewed doubt.
Borthwick said: “In my original planning for the Summer Nations Series and as part of our Rugby World Cup preparation, Owen Farrell was due to be selected to play in this Saturday’s Test match in Dublin.
“However, in light of the fact that so much of Owen’s training and match preparation time this week has been significantly affected and interrupted by the disciplinary process, I have not selected him in the matchday 23. Owen will travel to Ireland with our full support.
“Owen understands the situation, but is of course disappointed, as I am, that he is missing such a special game that he would otherwise have played in.”
Courtney Lawes will captain the England side in Farrell’s absence, with George Ford starting at fly-half and named a vice-captain.
England side to face Ireland
Starting XV: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 David Ribbans, 6. Courtney Lawes, 7 Ben Earl, 8 Billy Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Jack Willis, 21 Danny Care, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Ollie Lawrence
Ireland side to face England
Starting XV: 15. Hugo Keenan, 14. Mack Hansen, 13. Garry Ringrose, 12. Bundee Aki, 11. James Lowe, 10. Ross Byrne, 9. Jamison Gibson-Park, 1. Andrew Porter, 2. Dan Sheehan, 3. Tadhg Furlong, 4. Tadhg Beirne, 5. James Ryan (C), 6. Peter O’Mahony, 7. Josh van der Flier, 8. Cian Prendergast
Replacements: 16. Rob Herring, 17. Jeremy Loughman, 18. Finlay Bealham,19. Joe McCarthy, 20. Caelan Doris, 21. Conor Murray, 22. Jack Crowley, 23. Keith Earls
More to follow…
This is a breaking news story that is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh this page for the latest updates.
Sky Sports brings you live updates as they happen. Get breaking sports news, analysis, exclusive interviews, replays and highlights.
Sky Sports is your trusted source for breaking sports news headlines and live updates. Watch live coverage of your favourite sports: Football, F1, Boxing, Cricket, Golf, Tennis, Rugby League, Rugby Union, NFL, Darts, Netball and get the latest transfers news, results, scores and more.
Visit skysports.com or the Sky Sports App for all the breaking sports news headlines. You can receive push notifications from the Sky Sports app for the latest news from your favourite sports and you can also follow @SkySportsNews on Twitter to get the latest updates.
