England v Ireland: Six Nations rugby union live

"Changes galore, and notable ones at that, across both matchday squads. Steve Borthwick hands fan and media darling (and bloody good player) Henry Pollock his first start in the back row, where he will be joined by the returning Tom Curry. In the backs Tommy Freeman returns to a wing berth at the expense of Tom Roebuck, which brings Ollie Lawrence back into the centres. The bench is a 6:2, with Jack Van Poortvliet and Marcus Smith as the backs options."

"For Ireland, Andy Farrell has decided his favourite child Sam Prendergast is not for this fixture and is left out of a matchday squad for the first time since his debut in November 2024. Whatever your opinion of his abilities, this must be incredibly tough for the young bloke. Jack Crowley returns to the starting 10 shirt and he will line up alongside Jamison Gibson-Park to marshall a backline that retains Rob Balacoune and James Lowe on the wings."

Significant selection changes appear in both squads. England start Henry Pollock on his first back-row start alongside returning Tom Curry. Tommy Freeman moves back to the wing, displacing Tom Roebuck and returning Ollie Lawrence to the centres. The England bench features a 6:2 forwards-to-backs split with Jack Van Poortvliet and Marcus Smith as backs cover. Ireland omit Sam Prendergast from the matchday squad for the first time since his debut, a difficult blow for the youngster. Jack Crowley starts at ten with Jamison Gibson-Park at nine, Rob Balacoune and James Lowe remain on the wings, and Josh Van Der Flier returns at openside.

Read at www.theguardian.com