England coach Brian Ashton has received a much-needed fillip ahead of the crunch World Cup encounter with Samoa this Saturday following the return to fitness of Jonny Wilkinson and Olly Barkley. Both players have been named in the starting line-up, with Wilkinson, England's talismanic fly-half, set to make his first start of the tournament after recovering from ankle ligament injury.
Wilkinson's return and the renewed availability of Barkley, who missed England's 36-0 mauling at the hands of South Africa with a hip problem, could hardly have come at a better time for Ashton as he seeks to rekindle form and confidence in his stuttering side.
Ashton has made a total of seven changes to the team beaten by the Springboks. Barkley will line up at inside-centre in place of Andy Farrell, who drops to the bench. Wilkinson, meanwhile, replaces Mike Catt, who has been omitted from the squad along with scrum-half Shaun Perry, flanker Tom Rees and the injured Jason Robinson. Jamie Noon has returned home for further treatment on a tournament-ending knee injury.
In Robinson's absence, Josh Lewsey is set to move from wing to full-back, with Mark Cueto coming in to take the Number 14 shirt. Another fresh face, Mathew Tait, will form a new centre partnership with Barkley, while Wasps' Joe Worsley will feature in the back row and Leicester hooker George Chuter is preferred to Mark Regan.
England need victory against Samoa to keep themselves in the qualifying picture from Pool A, although their appointment with Tonga in Paris on Friday week will still effectively be an eliminator for the quarter finals. If England beat Samoa and Tonga, their likely opponents in the last eight will be Australia.
England team to play Samoa in World Cup Pool A in Nantes on Saturday (1500BST): J Lewsey (Wasps); P Sackey (Wasps), M Tait (Newcastle), O Barkley (Bath), M Cueto (Sale Sharks); J Wilkinson (Newcastle), A Gomarsall (Harlequins); A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), G Chuter (Leicester), M Stevens (Bath), S Shaw (Wasps), B Kay (Leicester), M Corry (Leicester, capt), J Worsley (Wasps), N Easter (Harlequins).
Replacements: M Regan (Bristol), P Freshwater (Perpignan), S Borthwick (Bath), L Moody (Leicester), P Richards (London Irish), A Farrell (Saracens), D Hipkiss (Leicester).
