England have made two changes to their starting XV for the Six Nations clash against Ireland in Dublin on Sunday.
Alex Goode takes over at full-back after Mike Brown was ruled out of the potentially title-clinching game due to a bout of concussion he sustained during the 47-17 rout of Italy a fortnight ago.
Jack Nowell meanwhile replaces Jonny May on the left wing for his first cap since making his five previous Test appearances during last year’s Six Nations, ending a near year-long absence due to shoulder and knee injuries.
May scored a superb solo try against New Zealand in November, but he wasted a three-on-one overlap against Italy and his defence has always been seen as suspect.
The two changes are the first England have made during this year’s Six Nations tournament.
In the third and final adjustment to the match-day 23, tighthead prop Kieran Brookes is withdrawn from the bench after failing to recover from a hip flexor strain, giving Henry Thomas his first chance.
“Alex is in good form for Saracens and has been training well over the last few weeks, as has Jack Nowell who is also playing well for Exeter Chiefs,” head coach Stuart Lancaster said.
“Both have been pushing hard for selection and I’m sure they’ll seize their chance against a high quality Ireland side.”
The match pits the two unbeaten sides in the championship with England successful against Wales and Italy and Ireland on top against Italy and France.
England team:
Alex Goode; Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Luther Burrell, Jack Nowell; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Billy Vunipola, Chris Robshaw, James Haskell; George Kruis, David Attwood; Dan Cole, Dylan Hartley, Joe Marler
Replacements: Tom Youngs, Mako Vunipola, Henry Thomas, Nick Easter, Tom Croft, Richard Wigglesworth, Danny Cipriani, Billy Twelvetrees
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Director: Alfonso Cuaron
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
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Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
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Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm
Scotland v Ireland:
Scotland (15-1): Stuart Hogg; Tommy Seymour, Huw Jones, Sam Johnson, Sean Maitland; Finn Russell, Greig Laidlaw (capt); Josh Strauss, James Ritchie, Ryan Wilson; Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist; Simon Berghan, Stuart McInally, Allan Dell
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- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
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Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.