Six Nations 2018: England recall Nathan Hughes for Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland
Hughes returns from injury in one of two changes to the squad as Joe Marler is recalled after suspension to the replacements' bench for this Saturday's Six Nations encounter
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Your support makes all the difference.Eddie Jones has made one change to his England starting XV that will take on Scotland in this Saturday’s Six Nations Calcutta Cup clash, with Nathan Hughes returning from injury to start at No 8 in place of the injured Sam Simmonds.
Hughes is named following his recovery from a knee injury suffered while on Wasps duty in December, and his return to fitness could not be timed more perfectly following Simmond’s unavailability due to the shoulder injury he suffered in the 12-6 win over Wales two weeks ago.
Having played 26 minutes on his return for Wasps on the same weekend, Hughes has undergone an intense conditioning regime within the England camp over the last 10 days, and Jones has no dears about unleashing the Fijian-born back-row at Murrayfield despite his lack of game time.
“Nathan Hughes has worked hard on his fitness,” said head coach Jones. “I’ve never seen him in better physical condition so we are looking forward to him playing. Nathan has a key role in defence and in us gaining momentum in attack.”
The return of Hughes is the one of two changes in the England match-day squad, with Joe Marler returning to the replacements’ bench following his six-week suspension.
Owen Farrell has recovered from a leg injury to keep his place at inside centre despite missing the bulk of training over the last fortnight, while both Anthony Watson and Joe Launchbury will also start the Calcutta Cup encounter after shaking off knocks.
“We are really excited about this game and we will need to be very tough and relentless in our defence to keep the pressure on this Scottish team," said Jones.
“They are renowned for their attack so we will need to put pressure on them, create opportunities through our defence for our attack, and convert those opportunities to points.
“Our preparation over the last two weeks has been important in that it has allowed us to regenerate the players, improve the fitness of some and to get a clear understanding on how we will play this weekend.”
It means that Launchbury will win his 50th cap this weekend, becoming the 48th international to reach his half-century for England.
“For any player to play 50 caps for their country is a wonderful achievement,” Jones added. “Joe has worked really hard to improve and is such an important player for us.”
With the rest of the side unchanged, Jonathan Joseph continues at outside centre ahead of Ben Te’o, who must make do with a place among the replacements once again, while James Haskell and Charlie Ewels will also travel north of the border as cover for the squad having been overlooked for selection.
England team to face Scotland
Mike Brown; Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Owen Farrell, Jonny May; George Ford, Danny Care; Mako Vunipola, Dylan Hartley, Dan Cole; Joe Launchbury, Maro Itoje; Courtney Lawes, Chris Robshaw, Nathan Hughes.
Replacements: Jamie George, Joe Marler, Harry Williams, George Kruis, Sam Underhill, Richard Wigglesworth, Ben Te’o, Jack Nowell.
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