England make bold changes for showdown with Springboks at Twickenham

Borthwick's team will be desperate to bounce back after losing to the Wallabies last weekend and the All Blacks the previous Saturday but it is a difficult proposition.

The four changes to the side see Ollie Sleightholme, Jack van Poortvliet, Freddie Steward, and Sam Underhill all come in as England tweak their side for the game.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tom Curry are ruled out due to injury but Ben Spencer and George Furbank are axed as Borthwick opts for new faces at scrum-half and 15.

Jamie George is captain and once again supported by vice-captains: lock Maro Itoje, back-row Ben Earl, prop Ellis Genge and flyhalf George Ford, who is on the bench.

In the front row, George runs out at hooker with Genge at loosehead prop and Will Stuart at tighthead prop. Itoje is again paired with George Martin in the second row.

The back row features last weekend's two-try star Chandler Cunningham-South and Underhill manning the flanks while Earl will wear the No 8 jersey.

In the half-back spots, Leicester scrumhalf Van Poortvliet starts alongside Marcus Smith while the midfield sees Henry Slade link with Ollie Lawrence once again.

In the back three, Tommy Freeman shifts to the right wing, Sleightholme takes the left slot and Steward is selected at full-back to round off England's starting XV.

Sale Sharks wing Tom Roebuck is included among the replacements for the first time this autumn, alongside Luke Cowan-Dickie, Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Alex Dombrandt, Harry Randall and Ford.

"We're excited to challenge ourselves against the world's top-ranked team and back-to-back Rugby World Cup champions," said Borthwick.

"Test matches against South Africa are always thrilling contests, and I'm sure Saturday will be no exception."

England team to face Springboks

England - 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Jack van Poortvliet, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ellis Genge

Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Alex Dombrandt, 21 Harry Randall, 22 George Ford, 23 Tom Roebuck

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