In the lineup announced by coach Steve Borthwick on Thursday, Joe Marler and George Martin are brought into the pack, while full-back Freddie Steward has been called up by England to start the Rugby World Cup semi-final against South Africa on Saturday.
Ellis Genege and Ollie Chessum are benched, but Marcus Smith—the starting fullback against Fiji—is left off the roster. Smith’s head injury has been confirmed by Borthwick as the reason for his absence.
The player of the year for England’s back-to-backs is a strong defender and one of the greatest under the high ball in the league. In their quarterfinal match, South Africa’s aerial barrage proved too much for France to handle, but Steward will support him.
Before taking a break for the Chilean encounter, the 22-year-old had participated in 28 straight games. Before missing the match against Fiji, he made a comeback for the last pool encounter against Samoa.
Prop loosehead Marler with a large lock Martin, who is making his second start of the competition, has been added to strengthen England’s scrum in order to counter the formidable South African pack that defeated France.