England stars Farrell and Ford reunited in bid for perfect Rugby World Cup start
Rugby World Cup 2023 – Day 18 highlights
England face Samoa in their final Rugby World Cup Pool D match, after already topping the group thanks to three wins and 14 points from their opening three games against Argentina, Japan and Chile. Ahead of a potential quarter-final tie with Fiji, Steve Borthwick will be hoping to continue their positive momentum while also testing some new partnerships before the knock-out games.
George Ford and Owen Farrell have been named in the starting lineup together for the first time under Borthwick, despite the duo enjoying success together under previous head coach Eddie Jones. Captain Farrell also needs just two points today to become England’s record points scorer.
While flanker Tom Curry returns from suspension after his red card in their opening match of the tournament against Argentina, while England are up against a Samoa side that need a bonus-point win in order to retain any hope of qualifying for the quarter-finals before Argentina take on Japan in a likely decider on Sunday.
England have defeated Samoa in all eight of their previous meetings, including three times in previous World Cups, with their latest meeting coming in 2017 when the hosts claimed a 48-14 victory in Twickenham – a result Borthwick will hope to repeat on his way to the knockout stages.
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England have already topped Pool D and likely will face Fiji in the quarter-finals, but lost to their potential opponents in their previous meeting and will hope to build up more steam before their next meeting.
Samoa sit fourth in the pool, three points behind Argentina and Japan who face each other on Sunday, and need tomorrow’s match to be a draw after beating England by 29 points or more in a bonus-point win.
Today’s lineups
Steve Borthwick has gone with an unsurprisingly strong team, given the opportunities to rotate earlier in the pool, as he looks to build some momentum ahead of a likely quarter-final tie with Fiji.
Henry Arundell’s five tries last time out against Chile was not enough to keep him in the starting 15, however, as he and Marcus Smith have come out as Freddie Steward returns at full-back.
George Ford and captain Owen Farrell will revisit their 10-12 partnership for the first time under Borthwick, while Joe Marchant and Jonny May line up on the wings – while Tom Curry returns from his suspension.
Samoa have made nine changes from their previous defeat to Japan, as wing Ben Lam is out as a result of his three-match suspension for his red card.
What time is kick-off?
England vs Samoa will take place on Saturday with kick-off at 4.45pm. Borthwick’s side return to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille, having breezed past Chile 71-0 at the same venue last month.
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