Henry Arundel, George Ford and Alex Coles have all been named to start England’s Six Nations opener against Wales on Saturday, with captain Maro Itoje remaining on the bench.

England finalized their squad three days earlier than required, with Tommy Freeman joining Northampton Saints team-mate Fraser Dingwall at centre-forward, with Joe Heyes starting and Will Stuart missing through injury.

Hooker Jamie George captains Itoje, who is joined on the bench by British and Irish Lions Henry Pollock, Tom Curry, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Marcus Smith.

Inexperienced prop duo Bevin Rudd and Trevor Davidson provided cover as Steve Borthwick’s side dealt with a number of injuries in the front row.

Defender Freddie Stewart and right winger Emmanuel Faye-Waboso formed a back three with Arundel.

Ford started in the first half in the absence of Northampton’s Finn Smith and partnered scrum-half Alex Mitchell at centre-back.

Ellis Genge sat in the front row with George and Heyes, with Coles partner Ollie Chessum in the second row from the start.

The names starting in the back row are Guy Pepper, Sam Underhill and Ben Earl.

Bath captain and defender Ben Spencer was on the bench alongside Cowan Dickie, Lord, Davidson, Itoje, Curry, Pollock and Smith, with England again opting for a 6-2 split between forwards and defenders.

“England vs. Wales is always a special moment in the rugby calendar. It’s a great rivalry with a long history and each meeting presents a huge challenge,” head coach Borthwick said.

“We expect Wales to deliver a tight contest, so we need to be precise with that challenge. For us, our focus is on executing our game plan and staying disciplined throughout the game.

“We’re delighted to be holding the Championship at a sold-out Allianz Arena. The support we receive at home is fantastic and always gives the players a huge boost.”

England vs. Wales

England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Tommy Freeman, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Henry Arundell, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George (C), 3 Joe Heyes, 4 Alex Coles, 5 Ollie Chessum, 6 Guy Pepper, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Ben Earl.

Alternatives: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Bevan Lord, 18 Trevor Davidson, 19 Maro Itoje, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Ben Spencer, 23 Marcus Smith.

England 2026 Six Nations fixtures

• Wales – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham – Saturday 7 February – 4:40pm (GMT)
• Scotland – Murrayfield – Saturday 14 February – 4:40pm (GMT)
• Ireland – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham – Saturday 21 February – 2.10pm (GMT)
• Italy – Stadio Olimpico – Saturday 7 March – 4:40pm (GMT)
• France – Stade de France – Saturday 14 March – 8:10pm (GMT)