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Tom Youngs handed England debut against Fiji

Last updated on .From the section Rugby Unioncomments223

BBC Look East speaks to Norfolk brothers Tom and Ben Youngs

Hooker Tom Youngs will make his England debut against Fiji on Saturday, while boss Stuart Lancaster has also named two uncapped players on the bench.

There are five changes in the XV, with captain Chris Robshaw back on the flank and Charlie Sharples, Ugo Monye and Brad Barritt coming into the back line.

Uncapped Wasps back row Joe Launchbury and Saracens prop Mako Vunipola are both among the replacements.

Youngs is the brother of scrum-half Ben, who is on the bench.

It is one of the most inexperienced England teams of the professional era, with the starting XV averaging just over 14 caps per man while the replacements have only eight-and-a-half caps per man.

"This is the start of a huge four-week journey for us that will test us in every way," Lancaster said. "It is about putting a marker down at the start of this series.

"There is a lot of consistency from the South Africa tour [which England lost 2-0 in the summer], particularly the team that played in the last Test, which is based on form in the Premiership."

Tom Youngs, who only switched to hooker from centre three years ago, gets his chance in the number two shirt because of first-choice hooker Dylan Hartley's knee injury.

The 25-year-old has only started 10 games for Leicester and his throwing into the line-out has been called into question on occasion, but Lancaster is confident the hooker is ready for the Test stage.

"There are not many centres who transfer from hooker so mental resilience and toughness is one of his strengths," Lancaster explained.

"So too are his physicality, his handling, his defence and his set piece. He has areas to work on but the scrum power he brings is phenomenal.

"People make a lot of his throwing but he has done it consistently in big games.

"He deserves his chance, as do Joe Launchbury and Mako Vunipola, who we are pleased to be able to include in the squad."

Young's younger brother Ben has only recently returned to action after injury and is edged out for the scrum-half berth by in-form Harlequins number nine Danny Care.

Gloucester's Sharples replaces the suspended Chris Ashton on the right wing, Harlequins' Monye comes in for the injured Ben Foden on the left and Saracens centre Barritt replaces another injury victim, Jonathan Joseph, in the centres.

Harlequins flanker Robshaw missed the final Test of the summer against South Africa because of injury and the captain replaces James Haskell in the back row alongside Tom Johnson and Thomas Waldrom.

Care and Toby Flood - the most experienced player in the team with 50 caps - form the half-back partnership while Saracens' Alex Goode starts at full-back.

Northampton flanker Tom Wood returns to the England fold after 14 injury-plagued months with a place on the bench.

England face Fiji, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand at Twickenham over consecutive weekends.

England team to face Fiji: Alex Goode (Saracens); Charlie Sharples (Gloucester), Manu Tuilagi (Leicester), Brad Barritt (Saracens), Ugo Monye (Harlequins); Toby Flood (Leicester), Danny Care (Harlequins); Joe Marler (Harlequins), Tom Youngs (Leicester), Dan Cole (Leicester), Tom Palmer (Wasps), Geoff Parling (Leicester), Tom Johnson (Exeter), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins, capt), Thomas Waldrom (Leicester).

Replacements: David Paice (London Irish), David Wilson (Bath), Mako Vunipola (Saracens), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), Tom Wood (Northampton), Ben Youngs (Leicester), Owen Farrell (Saracens), Mike Brown (Harlequins)

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223 comments

  • Comment posted by Fulltankofgas, at 13:42 8 Nov 2012

    Its great to see new players coming through and news of anyone breaking in to the England team raises the profile of the sport in the news also.
    Its so hard to keep up with Rugby if you dont have Sky. There are websites and occasional BBC highlights but theres not a lot.
    Its happened to too many sports. Yeah, Sky pays a lot more, but it actively reduces the number of people who can watch the sport

  • Comment posted by Juan Pablo, at 13:11 8 Nov 2012

    Missed opportunities here. Should be:
    15.Brown, 14.Wade, 13.Simpson-Daniel, 12.Twelvetrees, 11.Tuilagi, 10.Burns, 9.Care; 1.Marler, 2.Youngs, 3.Cole, 4.Palmer, 5.Robson, Robshaw, 7.Armitage, 8.Morgan.

    Please don't be conservative. Its Fiji. This team would be exciting and balanced. A fetcher in the back row, a visoonary at 10, and an option to swap 13 and 11 on defence and attack. Thank you.

  • Comment posted by Tiptext, at 12:45 8 Nov 2012

    Very pleased for Mako, has come through the England system man and boy, he can't help being born in NZ the poor lad. 20 stone 5' 11, great feet and hands. Compared to a Sheridan who is only 19 stone! and a bit tall for his center of gravity 6' 2", and to my mind was a bit disappointing as a ball carrier and footballer, Hoping he will step up to international level and mako his mark!

  • Comment posted by APG, at 11:20 8 Nov 2012

    Not failing for this lack of ambition in selection rubbish. Injuries have given Lancaster the chance to blood in form players for this match but only an idiot wouldn't want some consistency in selection accross this series. The SH sides are at the end of playing together all year

    Sharples, Monye and Care are your sparkle, Barritt and Tuilangi your brawn and Flood and Goode your brains

    SWING LOW

  • Comment posted by ayrtonsenna, at 12:20 8 Nov 2012

    ps - looking forward to Matt Tait starting for Leicester this weekend. Just hope he has a season to enjoy and gets some games under his belt - he is too good to dismiss at 26. He is a Conrad Smith-type player with an extra yard of pace, could be truly exceptional

  • Comment posted by Overflowing Calzone, at 11:40 8 Nov 2012

    Fine with selection of Barritt as long as he would have picked Joseph were he available. Twelvetrees hype is oversung, Allen was consistently better than him at Tigers thus he was second choice and moved club.

  • Comment posted by U14748508, at 11:02 8 Nov 2012

    @4 - I take the point about testing new players, but at the same time Lancaster has to actually build a team for the future and keep consistency there. We were undermined for too long with chopping and changing and too many one-cap wonders and failed experiments. Lancaster has to keep consistency whilst still trying out young players - I think he's got the balance more or less right thus far.

  • Comment posted by TheFridge, at 21:09 8 Nov 2012

    Lets hope hes a lot better than his brother.

  • Comment posted by Tiptext, at 17:48 8 Nov 2012

    England always start slowly after some time off, but should come through a win by 12 to 18 points.

    I wouldn't fancy Argentina first up, Wales should win if they bring their A game by 6 - 10 points

    SA to beat Ireland by 12

    Scotland to go down to a record defeat, whatever that is, only have 80 characters left.

  • Comment posted by GM Massingbird, at 16:34 8 Nov 2012

    Davies, that's a good point, there are players out of favour with their country like Easter or Wilkinson who people are mentioning (I don't think so myself). But if you're Welsh and out of favour, you really can forget the Lions can't you.

  • Comment posted by Come on Wales, at 16:31 8 Nov 2012

    Ref Byrne at 15
    I didn't say what Gatland would do :) I said what I would do !!!!!

    Byrne must have upset Gats somewhere along the line.

  • Comment posted by The Academy, at 16:30 8 Nov 2012

    164: Think there's a case to be made for all the home sides to be well represented even if the form of a player might not be equal of another. Gray is a quality player even if not setting the world alight and will get back to the heights he has shown. May be in the minority here but with little representation from Scotland last time it just didn't feel like a proper Lions.

  • Comment posted by The Academy, at 16:07 8 Nov 2012

    Can never resist a Lions team posting! As of today:
    1: Jenkins 2:Best 3:Cole
    4:AW Jones 5:Gray
    6:Johnson(maybe missing an obvious?) 7:Warburton 8:Heaslip
    9:Care 10:Burns 11:North 12:Roberts 13:Tuilagi 14:Bowe 15:Hogg

  • Comment posted by dragonsbreath, at 15:53 8 Nov 2012

    Anglophone 142 looks uncannily accurate to me. Though it misses the detail of Warburton hobbling from the pitch after the opening play.

  • Comment posted by Not2serious, at 15:10 8 Nov 2012

    To the good Dr.

    I cannot honestly say whether you are talking cobblers or not, but whoever gave you the advice on schools most certainly was - if your daughter is in a county set up she has the right access to good quality coaching already. Unless your daughter is in consideration for the upcoming men's internationals your rant was off topic and smelt of WUMErry hence the adverse comment.

  • Comment posted by Rulechangecrazy, at 15:06 8 Nov 2012

    More guess work from Lancaster. Jobs for the boys.

  • Comment posted by Dr Antonias Fuccilio, at 14:56 8 Nov 2012

    I have no idea what fistofthenorth star is ,as i haven't been to child's comic shop since i was 12 .
    Look pal i dont come on this site to ripped down , so respect

  • Comment posted by APG, at 14:11 8 Nov 2012

    @112 If brown is first choice for the other tests then why wouldn't you give brown a run out against Fiji for game time. Goode is clearly Lancaster's first choice.

    Brown is a good premiership player. He's the best at his kind of fullback, hard running, agressive and direct. But Goode offers so much more and will put other players like Tuilangi, Ashton and co into space

  • Comment posted by Steak and Ale Pie, at 14:11 8 Nov 2012

    Bravo Taff @ #111 - Brightened up an otherwise dull afternoon. BTW Grrrr to the 600 second rule!

  • Comment posted by Steak and Ale Pie, at 14:01 8 Nov 2012

    #109 - I like the Goode vs Brown debate because it is over who is England's 2nd best Full Back. We do not have quite the strength in depth in other positions unfortunately.

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