A month after chiding journalists for not giving Mike Brown the respect which he feels the fullback deserves, Eddie Jones has dropped the Harlequins player from his starting team to play France this weekend.
"You guys tell me he can't play test rugby and now you're telling me he's good. You guys are unbelievable. Fair dinkum! You guys are unbelievable," Jones said after England's win against Wales last month.
Jones has replaced Brown at fullback with Anthony Watson. The Bath back switches from the wing with Elliot Daly coming into the starting lineup. Brown was replaced after 56 minutes against Scotland which Jack Nowell entering the action in his stead.
"Mike Brown has been excellent for us but he was a little bit off against Scotland and we’ve decided to start Anthony Watson," said Jones. "We want to attack a little bit more so Anthony starts at fullback with Elliot Daly on the left and Jonny May right. It’s a great back 3 for us."
Those are not the only changes from the team which lost to Scotland at Murrayfield.
Due to injury, Jamie George comes in to replace Dylan Hartley. It's also possible that Hartley may have been dropped from the team had he not been injured. In his absence, Owen Farrell will captain the team.
At outside centre, Jamie Joseph - who was caught in no man's land for Finn Russell's superb pass which led to Sean Maitland's try a fortnight ago - drops out and in comes Ben Te'o.
England team to play France:
15. Anthony Watson
14. Jonny May
13. Ben Te’o
12. Owen Farrell (C)
11. Elliot Daly
10. George Ford
9. Danny Care
1. Mako Vunipola (VC)
2. Jamie George
3. Dan Cole
4. Joe Launchbury
5. Maro Itoje
6. Courtney Lawes
7. Chris Robshaw
8. Nathan Hughes
Finishers Replacements
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17. Joe Marler, 18. Kyle Sinckler, 19. James Haskell, 20. Sam Simmonds, 21. Richard Wigglesworth, 22. Jonathan Joseph, 23. Mike Brown
