England are set to take on minnows Chile in their third clash of the Rugby World Cup on Saturday (kick-off 4.45pm BST). Owen Farrell has been named at fly-half as he returns to the side following a four-match ban – and the 31-year-old is one of 12 changes to the team that defeated Japan last Sunday.
England came into the Rugby World Cup off the back of an underwhelming run of form under Steve Borthwick, who took over from Eddie Jones at the end of last year. And after finishing fourth in the Six Nations, they were given little hope of landing the World Cup trophy for the second time.
But Borthwick’s men have exceeded expectations in their opening two matches and top Pool D after defeating Argentina and Japan. England’s 27-10 victory over Argentina was notable as the 2003 champions were forced to play almost the entire match with 14 men after Tom Curry was sent off after just three minutes.
Borthwick’s side then came under fire during their 34-12 win against Japan due to their proclivity to kick the ball to gain territory rather than attacking defenders with ball in hand. But England have so far silenced their doubters with two positive results and will all but secure their place in the quarter-finals with victory over Chile before they face Samoa next month.
Ahead of Saturday’s encounter, England top Pool D with nine points, while Samoa and Japan are level on five points. And Argentina now have four points on the board after overcoming Samoa 19-10 on Friday.
England fans will be expecting their country to overpower Chile with ease. So follow the Express Sport live blog below to keep track of all the action from the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille.
