England squad announcement Q&A

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Owen Farrell has been named at fly-half for England’s autumn series opener against South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday.

The Saracens playmaker starts in the position for only the third time in the Eddie Jones era, forcing George Ford to settle for a place among the replacements.

Ben Te’o has been picked at inside centre despite being limited to only 28 minutes of rugby since May due to thigh and calf injuries.

Here, Press Association Sport answers some of the questions arising from England’s latest squad announcement.

Why was Farrell picked instead of Ford at fly-half?

England Training Session – Pennyhill Park
England’s George Ford (left) has dropped to the bench and is replaced at fly-half by Owen Farrell (right) (Adam Davy/PA)

Who is the England captain?

England v Ireland – NatWest 6 Nations – Twickenham Stadium
Dylan Hartley has been tasked with leading an inexperienced pack (Gareth Fuller/PA)

How much of a risk is the selection of Te’o at centre?

Ben Te’o File Photo
Ben T’eo has had limited match time due to injury (Mike Egerton/PA)

How is Jones dealing with the injury crisis at number eight?

England Training – Clifton Rugby Club
Mark Wilson fills the void at number eight (Ben Birchall/PA)

Who are the new boys?

Bath v Toulouse – European Champions Cup – Recreation Ground
Bath’s Zach Mercer starts the match on the replacements’ bench (David Davies/PA)

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