Johnson searches for 15 fit players

Wednesday 4 November 2009
Published By: Ben Welch
Super Rugby > Brumbies

England's mountain of injury worries has prompted manager Martin Johnson to delay choosing his side for this weekend's clash with Australia.

Last night he was named player of the century in a ceremony at Twickenham, so perhaps he was considering himself in order to plug the gap.

But that does look unlikely as the matchday 22 has been revealed, with ten players being released to play for their respective clubs.

The starting team is likely to include veterans Lewis Moody and Steve Borthwick, while Jonny Wilkinson's return will undoubtedly be the major talking point.

However, beyond that it seems that youth will be the theme, with the likes of Courtney Lawes in line to make a debut thanks mostly to the fact that 27 of the elite squad are out through injury.

Johnson is hoping the majority of those will be back in action by the time the Six Nations comes around, but a good performance against the Wallabies is going to be crucial in order to build momentum.