England launch new era
Dowson, Farrell and Barritt set for debuts
By Tony Curtis - Follow me on Twitter: @SkysportsTC. Last Updated: February 2, 2012 9:56am
Phil Dowson: Has been handed the No.8 jersey
England interim head coach Stuart Lancaster has handed debuts to Phil Dowson, Owen Farrell and Brad Barritt for the Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland.
England
England: 15 Ben Foden, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Owen Farrell, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 David Strettle, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Alex Corbisiero, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Mouritz Botha, 5 Tom Palmer, 6 Tom Croft, 7 Chris Robshaw, 8 Phil Dowson
Replacements: 16 Rob Webber, 17 Matt Stevens, 18 Geoff Parling, 19 Ben Morgan, 20 Lee Dickson, 21 Jordan Turner-Hall, 22 Mike Brown
There are five more uncapped players amongst the replacements, with Rob Webber, Geoff Parling, Ben Morgan, Lee Dickson and Jordan Turner-Hall all poised to play some part in Saturday's RBS Six Nations opener at Murrayfield.
Northampton star Dowson, now 30, finally makes his first international appearance after having for so long been on the fringes of England squad.
Dowson will wear the No.8 jersey - having pipped fellow new boy Morgan to the starting spot - and forms a back-row union with new skipper Chris Robshaw and Tom Croft.
Saracens duo Farrell and Barritt have been asked to replicate their impressive club form in the centres - and there will be plenty of familiar faces around them to help them settle in.
Impressed
Team-mates Charlie Hodgson and Dave Strettle are also recalled to the England side, while Chris Ashton, who will move to Sarries in the summer, is named on the wing. Full-back Ben Foden and scrum-half Ben Youngs complete the back division.
Another Saracen, Mouritz Botha, will win his second cap alongside Tom Palmer in the second row, while the front row of Dan Cole, Dylan Hartley and Alex Corbisiero will provide 67 of the side's 236 caps.
Matt Stevens has got the nod ahead another uncapped player Joe Marler on the bench to provide cover to the props, with in-form Mike Brown recalled as an option for the back-three.
Lancaster said: "We have been impressed with how the whole group has come together in the last 10 days and we have done a lot of work on and off the field.
"Now is the time to turn all that into a performance against Scotland that we can all be proud of. It is a massive challenge - Murrayfield, the first game of the Six Nations - but one we are relishing."
