by Steve Borthwick has left Manu Tuilagi out of his first team as England manager for the opening Six Nations match against Scotland on Saturday.
Borthwick has made eight changes to the squad since Eddie Jones’ last game in charge against South Africa in November.
Joe Marchant has been selected at outside centre, while Marcus Smith and captain Owen Farrell are also named for the game at Twickenham.
Jamie George has cleared the return-to-play protocols to be selected as a hooker.
Uncovered Ollie Hassell-Collins is one of the more surprising additions, while Dan Cole is on the bench, having not played for England since the 2019 World Cup final.
After announcing the team, Borthwick detailed Tuilagi’s reaction to the news, telling reporters: “Manu was the incredible professional that he is.
“We talked, I told him what I had decided regarding the selection… and we shook hands, and then he went and trained very hard and that reaction is a testament to him and his character, and not only him, but multiplayer that way and ultimately what we want to build on here.
“We want to build a team that’s not just about the national team. It’s a team that is building and moving forward to try and get wins for England, which means you have to train hard every day.”
Scotland manager Gregor Townsend will hand Luke Crosbie his third cap as the Edinburgh wing was named alongside Matt Fagerson and captain Jamie Ritchie in the back row.
Ben White will feature at scrum-half, while Kyle Steyn has been given the go-ahead to replace the injured Darcy Graham at right wing.
Stuart Hogg has recovered from a heel injury to start at wing-back, while Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones are named in midfield.
England team: Freddie Steward, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Owen Farrell, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Marcus Smith, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Lewis Ludlam, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt.
Replacements: Jack Walker, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Ben Earl, Ben Youngs, Ollie Lawrence, Anthony Watson.
Scotland team: Stuart Hogg, Kyle Steyn, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Finn Russell, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, George Turner, WP Nel, Richie Gray, Grant Gilchrist, Jamie Ritchie, Luke Crosbie, Matt Fagerson.
Replacements: Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti, Simon Berghan, Jonny Gray, Jack Dempsey, George Horne, Blair Kinghorn, Chris Harris.
