England confirm Marcus Smith will start at full-back in Rugby World Cup quarter-final with Fiji… with Owen Farrell taking the No 10, George Ford dropped to the bench and Freddie Steward OUT of the match-day 23

• England have confirmed their team to play Fiji in Marseille on Saturday 
• Steve Borthwick has opted to reshuffle his playmakers for the quarter-final
• Smith starts at full-back, with Farrell back in the No 10 shirt for the big game 

England have confirmed the selection of Marcus Smith to start at full-back in Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final against Fiji, with captain Owen Farrell back in the No 10 shirt.

As first reported by Mail Sport, head coach Steve Borthwick has opted to reshuffle his playmakers, with Farrell taking over at fly-half and George Ford dropping to the bench, while Smith will make just his second start at full-back. 

As expected, this ploy means that Leicester’s Freddie Steward – such a stalwart of the national team over the last two years – has been left out of the match-day 23.

With the skipper switching positions, Manu Tuilagi shifts to inside centre, to join forces in midfield with Joe Marchant, who lined up on the wing in the tense win over Samoa last Saturday in Lille. Elliot Daly has been recalled to the starting XV on the left flank, with Jonny May swapping to the right.

Scrum-half is the only place in the back line where the same player will wear the shirt worn eight days earlier, as Alex Mitchell of Northampton is retained.

Marcus Smith will start at full-back in England’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final with Fiji

England captain Owen Farrell will take over at fly-half and will be back in the No 10 shirt

Up front, England are unchanged, with Borthwick opting to pick the same eight forwards – meaning veteran Dan Cole continues as the first-choice tighthead prop, alongside Jamie George and Ellis Genge in the front row. Billy Vunipola once again has to settle for an under-study role as Ben Earl will continue at No 8, with Courtney Lawes and Tom Curry packing down either side of him.

Borthwick set the scene on a momentous occasion, saying: ‘The knockout stages of any Rugby World Cup are always full of excitement and keen anticipation for our supporters both at home and here in France. This will be no different. The players cannot wait for this Sunday’s quarter-final against Fiji.

‘Everyone knows just what an unpredictably dangerous opposition Fiji can be. However, we have shown in the group stages how we can win games, and we will be calling on that experience and determination to ensure we carry on our journey.

‘We are very much looking forward to returning to the special atmosphere of the Stade de Marseille, where we started our campaign back in September with a win against Argentina. I have said it before, our supporters contributed to a very special night on that occasion, and I have no doubt it will be another memorable evening this Sunday.’ 

The changes mean that Freddie Steward has been left out of the matchday squad

ENGLAND team to play Fiji in Marseille on Sunday: M Smith (Harlequins); J May (Gloucester), J Marchant (Stade Francais), M Tuilagi (Sale), E Daly (Saracens); O Farrell (Saracens. capt), A Mitchell (Northampton); E Genge (Bristol), J George (Saracens), D Cole (Leicester); M Itoje (Saracens), O Chessum (Leicester); C Lawes (Northampton), B Earl (Saracens), T Curry (Sale). 

Replacements: T Dan (Saracens), J Marler (Harlequins), K Sinckler (Bristol), G Martin (Leicester), B Vunipola (Saracens), D Care (Harlequins), G Ford (Sale), O Lawrence (Bath).

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