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Lewis Moody Tony Marshall/EMPICS Sport
Fit Again

Nine changes for England as Lewis Moody comes back in

Lewis Moody is fit to start as Martin Johnson makes nine changes to the England team to face Georgia at the Rugby World Cup.

LEWIS MOODY IS fit and ready to captain England for Sunday’s Rugby World Cup clash against Georgia.

Martin Johnson has made nine changes from the side that narrowly beat Argentina 13-9, with Tom Wood, Shontayne Hape, Toby Flood, Ben Youngs, Simon Shaw, Tom Palmer, Matt Stevens and Dylan Hartley all named in the side.

Moody has only played five games since he hurt his knee in Bath’s win over Aironi last January, and he aggravated the injury in the first warm-up game against Wales last month.

“It’s good to have Lewis back,” England manager Martin Johnson told a press conference. “It’s a chance for a lot of guys to come and play.

“It was always the plan that people would have to play and give them a chance in the second half of the pool and hopefully beyond.”

Moody replaces James Haskell on the openside, Wood is named on the blindside and Nick Easter stays at No.8.

Steve Thompson is benched and Alex Sheridan is injured, so Steven and Hartley make up the front row. Shaw and Palmer comprise the second row, with Alex Corbisiero, Tom Croft, Haskell, Jonny Wilkinson, Matt Banahan, Joe Simpson and Thompson on the bench.

England: 15 Ben Foden, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Shontayne Hape, 11 Delon Armitage, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Matt Stevens, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Simon Shaw, 5 Tom Palmer, 6 Tom Wood, 7 Lewis Moody, 8 Nick Easter.

Replacements: 16 Steve Thompson, 17 Alex Corbisiero, 18 Tom Croft, 19 James Haskell, 20 Joe Simpson, 21 Jonny Wilkinson, 22 Matt Banahan.

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