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Prop Wilson Starts For England

England have made two changes to their matchday squad for Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations encounter with Ireland at Twickenham (kick-off 4pm).

Tighthead prop David Wilson of Bath replaces the injured Dan Cole, who will require three months’ rest from rugby before further assessment on his neck, while uncapped Bath out-half George Ford comes in for Brad Barritt on the replacements bench.

England head coach Stuart Lancaster said: “We are excited about being back at our home after two games on the road. The Twickenham crowd during the November internationals was superb and I’m sure it’ll be the same again on Saturday.

“We have been forced into one change and we wish Dan Cole all the best for his recovery. However, David Wilson is an experienced international with 31 caps and he showed in his three starts against Argentina last year what he can do.

“We’ve made an active decision to go with George Ford on the bench as we believe that he is ready for the next step in his development and we are confident he will make an impression should he come on.”

Team captain Chris Robshaw added: “Twickenham and the crowd is a massive factor for us and we wanted to do a slightly longer walk to experience even more the support we get before the game.

“The supporters give us a huge lift and we know the atmosphere on Saturday will be amazing.”

ENGLAND Team & Replacements (v Ireland, 2014 RBS 6 Nations Championship, Twickenham, Saturday, February 22, kick-off 4pm):

Player/Club/Caps –

15. Mike Brown (Harlequins) 23
14. Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs) 2
13. Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints) 2
12. Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester) 10
11. Jonny May (Gloucester) 3
10. Owen Farrell (Saracens) 21
9. Danny Care (Harlequins) 44
1. Joe Marler (Harlequins) 17
2. Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints) 52
3. David Wilson (Bath) 31
4. Joe Launchbury (London Wasps) 16
5. Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints) 27
6. Tom Wood (Northampton Saints) 25
7. Chris Robshaw (Harlequins) 23 (capt)
8. Billy Vunipola (Saracens) 7

Replacements:

16. Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers) 14
17. Mako Vunipola (Saracens) 12
18. Henry Thomas (Sale Sharks) 4
19. Dave Attwood (Bath) 7
20. Ben Morgan (Gloucester) 17
21. Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints) 14
22. George Ford (Bath) *
23. Alex Goode (Saracens) 15