England head coach Steve Borthwick has named an unchanged starting line-up for their Six Nations clash with Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.

It is the first time since the 2019 Rugby World Cup that the Red Rose have managed that feat as Borthwick searches for continuity.

They opened their Six Nations account with a narrow 27-24 victory over Italy and 22 of the 23 players that featured in that game have been retained.

Injury-returnee

The only change comes on the England bench with Ellis Genge recovering from injury to take his place among the replacements against Wales.

That means Beno Obano, who earned his fourth cap against the Azzurri, has dropped out of the squad completely.

Despite the close nature of the scoreline, there were some promising signs for Borthwick and the head coach has continued with the back three of Freddie Steward, Tommy Freeman and Elliot Daly.

Centre duo Henry Slade and Fraser Dingwall had their defensive issues in the first half but improved after the break and continue their burgeoning partnership, with Alex Mitchell and George Ford completing the backline.

Up front, Ben Earl, Sam Underhill and Ethan Roots are the loose trio with Maro Itoje and Ollie Chessum the lock combination.

Finally, the team is again led by Jamie George and the hooker is joined in the front-row by Joe Marler and Will Stuart.

Genge returns to the squad after injury, with Theo Dan, Dan Cole, Alex Coles, Chandler Cunningham-South, Danny Care, Fin Smith and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso the other replacements.

“It was both pleasing and important to have started our Six Nations campaign in Rome with a victory,” Borthwick said. “It was good to have done so in front of so many travelling England supporters.

“However, we know there are areas of our game to improve as we prepare for this Saturday’s game against a spirited Wales team.

“With a new player group and a number of new caps, we have tried to develop our game on both sides of the ball. Such changes take time, and I was pleased how quickly the players settled and adapted last weekend against Italy.

“We’re delighted to be back playing in front of a sold-out Twickenham Stadium this Saturday. The visit of the Wales team is always a fixture that creates a special atmosphere.

“I have no doubt that this group of players are relishing the challenge before them and are looking forward to creating a very special experience for our supporters.”

England’s team to face Wales

England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Ethan Roots, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Alex Coles, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South, 21 Danny Care, 22 Fin Smith, 23 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso

Date: Saturday, February 10
Venue: Twickenham Stadium
Kick-off: 16:45 GMT
Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
TMO: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

READ MORE: Springboks legends accuse ‘weird’ England of ‘copying’ South Africa