England name much-changed team for USA Rugby World Cup clash with Joe Cokanasiga handed start

England will unleash Joe Cokanasiga at the World Cup for the first time against the USA on Thursday, to provide the ballast lost by the absence of Manu Tuilagi, who is one of 10 players rested.

With the game coming just four days after England’s opening victory over Tonga, Eddie Jones has named a much-changed side, captained by fly-half George Ford, with Owen Farrell on the bench.

Along with Billy Vunipola, Joe Marler, Elliot Daly and Tom Curry, Ford starts for the second successive game.

One of the most significant absentees, though, did not start against Tonga. Henry Slade, who missed all the summer internationals with injury, does not make the 23 having come off the bench against Tonga, raising concerns that he is still struggling.

Cokanasiga starts on the left wing having overcome a knee issue, with Ruaridh McConnochie also in line for a World Cup debut on the opposite flank. It will be just McConnochie’s second cap, having made his debut against Italy this month.

Piers Francis and Jonathan Joseph pair up at centre, outside Ford and scrum-half Willi Heinz. If Ben Youngs comes on to replace Heinz, he will equal the record of Jonny Wilkinson, England’s most-capped back.

Dan Cole will join Wilkinson on 91 as the third-most capped England player when he starts at tighthead, with Luke Cowan-Dickie also coming into the front row.

Both locks have changed, with George Kruis and Joe Launchbury picked, while Lewis Ludlam comes in for Sam Underhill at openside. Mark Wilson, who has had a knee injury, only gets a place on the bench.

The repeated selections of Marler, who could easily have been replaced by Ellis Genge, and Vunipola, who surprisingly started all four summer Tests, are interesting.

“It is our best 23 and we have looked at some players that would benefit not playing in this game so have kept them out of the 23,” said Jones. “But it is a great opportunity for another set of players to do the team proud.

“The four-day turnaround is something we experimented with against Japan last autumn and so the players have had some experience of it.

"You have to make sure the two days before the game are exactly the same as you would normally have for any other game.

"So for us, a short and fast run tomorrow and today is an active recovery day. What I see now is players handling it really well but the game on Thursday will be the litmus test.”