Friday 21 November 2014 16:52, UK
England forwards coach Graham Rowntree says he is looking forward to seeing how James Haskell and Ben Morgan get on against Samoa at Twickenham on Saturday evening.
The hosts will be looking for their first win of the autumn after losses to New Zealand and South Africa, and head coach Stuart Lancaster has made six changes to the line-up.
Two of the changes are in the back row, with Haskell coming in at flanker while Morgan will get a chance to start at No 8.
And Rowntree said: “We are very fortunate to have such good competition in the back row. It’s a nightmare for me.
“Throughout this campaign, I can’t speak highly enough about James Haskell. He has been very positive, even going back and playing for his club after being with us for two days.
“He is a seasoned pro, playing well for his club at six and at seven, and he did well for us in New Zealand over the summer, in that first Test in particular.
“Looking at this series, we always had it in mind to look at a few people. This is an ideal situation for us to have a look at James.
“He is loud and bold, it is all positive energy from him. He deserves his shot, just on his club form alone. This series, he has taken the disappointment of not playing every week well and I’m really looking forward to seeing him on the field.”
Morgan has been impressing as a replacement for England this autumn and now gets a chance to play from the start.
“Again, we have two fine eights in Billy Vunipola and Ben,” said Rowntree. “We felt it right that Ben starts this week and Billy goes back and plays for his club.
“You saw what Ben did off the bench. I am not going to shackle him with you must do this, you must do that. I want him to go out there and play his game.”
Rob Webber has been given the nod at hooker, while Dylan Hartley drops to the bench after he was sin-binned last week.
“Rob is worthy of a start,” said Rowntree “He played well for us in the summer as well. After six weeks out of the game, he started the first two Tests. He has been great around the group.
“Dylan knows, if you play against the number two side in the world, you need 15 men on the field, but we always had it in mind that we were going to look at Webs at some point, and this is his opportunity.”
Rowntree is expecting a tough test from Samoa and added: “It is certainly a physical brand of rugby that they produce.
“They have got an abrasive defence and they are not small, so the set piece will be a challenge. They have got nothing to lose. They have come to our home, and it will be their Cup final.”
Watch England take on Samoa from Twickenham live on Sky Sports 2 from 6.30pm this Saturday
