Steve Borthwick has announced the England squad to face Ireland in their opening match of the 2025 Guinness Six Nations at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, 1 February.
Maro Itoje will captain the team for the first time, becoming the 136th player to lead England since Frederick Stokes in 1871. Vice-captain Ellis Genge will provide additional leadership.
The clash in Dublin marks the 143rd meeting between England and Ireland, a rivalry that dates back to their first encounter in 1875.
In the front row, Luke Cowan-Dickie starts at hooker, joined by Genge at loosehead prop and Will Stuart at tighthead. Itoje partners with George Martin in the second row. The back row features Tom Curry at blindside flanker, his twin brother Ben Curry at openside, and Ben Earl at No. 8.
Alex Mitchell has been selected at scrum-half, with Marcus Smith at fly-half. Ollie Lawrence takes the inside centre position, while Henry Slade lines up at outside centre.
The back three includes Cadan Murley, who will make his England debut on the left wing, Tommy Freeman on the right wing, and Freddie Steward at full-back.
The replacements' bench has a 6-2 split, featuring Theo Dan, Fin Baxter, Joe Heyes, Ollie Chessum, Chandler Cunningham-South, Tom Willis, Harry Randall, and Fin Smith.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge of facing the tournament favourites,” said Borthwick.
"We know it’ll be a tough contest against a team that’s very familiar with each other. We’ll need to work tirelessly and maintain our discipline from the first whistle to the last.
“England versus Ireland in Dublin is a huge occasion, and we’ll be ready to face it head-on.”
England: 15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 35 caps), 14. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 15 caps), 13. Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby, 31 caps), 12. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 69 caps), 11. Cadan Murley (Harlequins, uncapped), 10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 39 caps), 9. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 18 caps), 8. Ben Earl (Saracens, 37 caps), 7. Ben Curry (Sale Sharks, 6 caps), 6. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 56 caps), 5. George Martin (Leicester Tigers, 19 caps), 4. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 88 caps) – captain, 3. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 45 caps), 2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 44 caps), 1. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 66 caps) – vice-captain. Replacements: 16. Theo Dan (Saracens, 16 caps), 17. Fin Baxter (Harlequins, 6 caps), 18. Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 7 caps), 19. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 23 caps), 20. Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 11 caps), 21. Tom Willis (Saracens, 1 cap), 22. Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, 11 caps), 23. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints, 6 caps).