Six Nations 2025: England v Italy – Marcus Smith drops to bench with Elliot Daly at 15
Elliot Daly will start ahead of Marcus Smith at full-back for England’s match against Italy on Sunday, with the Harlequins playmaker dropped to the bench.
Fraser Dingwall, who won his last England cap more than a year ago, comes into centres alongside Ollie Lawrence, with Henry Slade left out of the matchday 23.
Dingwall’s inclusion means five of the seven backs are from Northampton, with Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith continuing their half-back partnership.
Jamie George starts at hooker as he becomes the seventh player to reach a century of caps for the England men’s team.
Leicester scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet, who scored in England A’s win over Ireland’s second string last month, is preferred to Harry Randall as the scrum-half cover among the replacements.
England have won all 31 of their previous meetings with Italy but took only a narrow 27-23 victory in Rome last year in the Six Nations.
Head coach Steve Borthwick’s side lie third in the Six Nations table, one and four points respectively behind France and Ireland, who meet in Dublin on Saturday (14:15 GMT).
