Itoje benched as England reshapes backline for Wales opener

England name a bench-heavy starting XV for their Six Nations opener against Wales, with captain Maro Itoje starting on the bench after his mother’s funeral and Jamie George captaining the side. Northampton duo Fraser Dingwall and Tommy Freeman win midfield spots (Freeman moving from wing to outside centre), Henry Arundell starts on the left wing and Freddie Steward is at full-back as England plan to counter Wales’ kicking game. The pack is led by Genge and Heyes, with a forward-heavy bench including Bevan Rodd, Trevor Davison, Sam Underhill and Ben Earl; Alex Mitchell and Ford continue the half-back pairing. The match at Twickenham will test England’s evolving cohesion under Steve Borthwick.