Steve Borthwick insists his England players are “learning fast” as they prepare for the Six Nations finale against grand slam-chasing Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

England suffered a record 53-10 defeat against France at Twickenham last Saturday and are out of contention for the title as a result.

A meeting with Andy Farrell’s Ireland, the world’s No 1-ranked side, at the Aviva Stadium promises to be even more demanding, but Borthwick says that the squad is on the right path.

“What I need to do is make sure players build relationships with each other, and understand what Test rugby is about,” Borthwick said on Thursday.

“I think this team is the right team for this game this weekend. What you’re seeing is players that are experiencing a Six Nations tournament for the first time. I think they’re learning fast. We fell short last week [and] we need to learn faster.”

Borthwick has named a side featuring four changes from last weekend’s heavy defeat. Owen Farrell replaces Marcus Smith to start at fly-half, aiming to deny his father, Andy, a clean sweep with Ireland, with Smith dropping to the replacements bench.

An injury to Ollie Lawrence also means a return for Sale’s Manu Tuilagi, selected at No 12 and alongside Henry Slade in the centres for the first time since autumn 2021.

Henry Arundell of London Irish makes his first Test start on the wing, with Max Malins dropping out of the match-day 22. Regarded as the most exciting young attacking talent in the English game, Arundell has scored two international tries in six appearances, most recently in last month’s Twickenham win against Italy.

Joe Marchant is named as a replacement to cover centre or wing, along with the second-row Nick Isiekwe, while the prop Dan Cole marks his 100th Test starting on the bench.

“I pick players because of the ability and strengths they have,” Borthwick said of Arundell. “He has got some incredible strengths in his game. Yes, he’s a young man, but I think we’ve all seen what capabilities he has. Ultimately we want him to get the ball in his hands, show and express what talent he has … He is a young man but my experience of him is that he’s really calm and composed.”

Despite the emphatic superiority of the French forwards in Saturday’s humbling defeat, Borthwick has made just one injury-enforced change to his starting pack: Northampton’s David Ribbans comes into the second row for Ollie Chessum.

Borthwick revealed that Leicester’s Chessum will have surgery on Monday on the ankle dislocation he sustained against France, and is expected to be sidelined for five to six months.

“The determination he has to be back on the field and back in an England shirt is quite immense,” Borthwick said. “[We hope] he will have the opportunity to be fit and back on the field in readiness for the Rugby World Cup.”