Six Nations 2024: England start the 15th match unchanged to take on Wales at Twickenham

England have named an unchanged starting XI for Saturday's Six Nations clash with Wales at Twickenham.

This is the first time that England has fielded an unchanged starting lineup since the 2019 World Cup final.

In the only change to the squad after the win in Italy, vice-captain Elis Genge returned from injury to the bench.

“We are delighted to be back playing in front of a sold-out Twickenham Stadium this Saturday,” said Steve Borthwick, the team’s technical director.

“A visit to Wales is always a match that creates a special atmosphere.”

Borthwick named a new-look squad for their Six Nations opener against Italy last weekend, with five players making their international debuts in the 27-24 win.

So the England coach opted for continuity as his side looked to build on the win in Rome.

Borthwick added: “With a new group of players and a number of international appearances, we have tried to develop our style of play on both sides of the ball.”

“Changes like this take time, and I am happy with how quickly the players adapted and adapted last weekend against Italy.”

Prop Genji had late withdrawn from the squad to face the Azzurri, but has recovered from a foot injury and is replacing Benno Obano.

The experienced George Ford retains his starting place after leading England to victory in Rome, with Finn Smith among the substitutes.

Vice-captain Ford, who shares the role with Genji, told BBC 5 Live Breakfast: “It was a good start, you always want to start a Six Nations tournament with a win.”

“There are many positives for me, the way I felt on the pitch, the way we had the desire to play with the ball and the way we responded to some setbacks.

“But having said that we need to be a lot better at the same time, we probably need to be more consistent across the board to build the game better and score more points.

“And that's what we're after this week.”

Meanwhile, Scotland dominated Wales for 45 minutes in Cardiff, before scoring 26 unanswered points in the second half and narrowly losing 27-26.

Ford says he expects Wales to fix their issues before half-time and believes Warren Gatland's side will put in a markedly improved display from the start this weekend.

He added: “We will prepare to present the best version of the Wales team, 100%. You saw how dangerous they were in the second half.”

“The likelihood that they will fix what happened in the first half is high, of course it is.

He added: “So we have to prepare for the best version of Wales from the start of the match, and we realize that they are a team that never leaves, never stops, fights, fights, fights.”

“So we need a full 80-minute performance this weekend.”

England: steward; Freeman, Slade, Dingwall, Daly; Ford Mitchell. Marler, George (Captain), Stuart, Itoje, Chisum, Roots, Underhill, Earl.

Replacements: Dunn, Genji, Cole, Coles, Cunningham South, Kerr, F. Smith, V. Waboso