CONSUR XV v England, Montevideo, June 2
Lancaster rings the changes for tour opener
ESPN Staff
May 31, 2013
Bath's Kyle Eastmond dances through the Wasps defence, Bath v London Wasps, Aviva Premiership, The Recreation Ground, Bath, England, September 8, 2012
England boss Stuart Lancaster is excited by the potential of Bath's Kyle Eastmond © Getty Images
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Seven players will make their first senior starts for England against the CONSUR XV in Montevideo on Sunday.

The Northampton duo of centre Luther Burrell and fly half Stephen Myler come into the side eight days after featuring in the Saints' Premiership final defeat to Leicester and they are joined by Bath centre Kyle Eastmond, Sale prop Henry Thomas, Wasps No.8 Billy Vunipola, Gloucester winger Jonny May and lock Kearnan Myall who all appeared off the bench during England's victory over the Barbarians on Sunday. They will be joined by Quins hooker Rob Buchanan should he be used from the bench.

Saints flanker Tom Wood captains a starting XV that contains two more of his club-mates in fullback Ben Foden, who will make his first England appearance in a year after an ankle injury ruled him out of the autumn series and the Six Nations, and lock Courtney Lawes with another two - prop Paul Doran Jones and scrum-half Lee Dickson - among the replacements for the non-cap game.

Lancaster said: "We have made a lot of changes from the Barbarians games as this tour is about giving players opportunities to show their talent. However the objective is to build on that performance and keep our game moving forward. The players understand this responsibility and are looking forward to the challenge.

"Everyone involved will need to hit the ground running in Uruguay because we expect the Sudamerica side to play with a lot of skill and physicality in front of a passionate home crowd. It is England's first ever match on Uruguayan soil and should be a great occasion for all concerned."

Lancaster is particularly excited by the potential of Eastmond who appeared predominantly at wing and centre for Bath this season and who grabbed one of England's five tries against the Barbarians having come on as a replacement fullback.

"He has got great feet and balance and he is very strong and powerful but what he has also got is great timing and execution of his passing," Lancaster said. "His ability to put people through holes is right up there at the highest level and we have to find the tools to allow him to execute that. He has an opportunity to do that from 12. He is different to Jason Robinson. Jason was a strike-running outside back. Kyle is very much a ball-player. He is very comfortable at first receiver and that is what makes him dangerous."

Lancaster is open-minded about where the 23-year-old's future lies. "With a strike-running fullback in Foden you ideally need a ball-player at 12 and Kyle provides us with that," Lancaster said. "I am open-minded about Kyle's development. This is a long-term opportunity for Kyle."

Lancaster has also thrown down the gauntlet to Foden and urged him to put pressure on Mike Brown ahead of the series against Argentina. "It has been a frustrating season for him but he is back to form and fitness now," Lancaster said. "He was exceptional in the (Premiership) final and he knows he has to push hard to get the shirt ahead of Mike Brown."

The CONSUR XV, made up of players from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Brazil, that will line-up for the game at the 14,000 capacity Estadio Charrua includes six members of the Pumas squad selected for the Tests against England in Salta on June 8 and Buenos Aires on June 15.

England: Ben Foden (Northampton Saints); Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby), Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints), Kyle Eastmond (Bath Rugby), David Strettle (Saracens); Stephen Myler (Northampton Saints), Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens); Joe Marler (Harlequins); David Paice (London Irish); Henry Thomas (Sale Sharks); Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints); Kearnan Myall (Unattached); Tom Wood (Northampton Saints, captain); Tom Johnson (Exeter Chiefs), Billy Vunipola (London Wasps)

Replacements: Rob Buchanan (Harlequins), Alex Corbisiero (London Irish), Paul Doran Jones (Northampton Saints), Dave Attwood (Bath Rugby), Matt Kvesic (Worcester Warriors) 21 Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints), Freddie Burns (Gloucester Rugby), Jonathan Joseph (London Irish)

CONSUR XV: Tomás Carrió (Argentina); Belisario Agulla (Argentina), Francisco Sansot (Argentina), Juan Socino (Argentina), Leandro Leivas (Uruguay); Benjamín Madero (Argentina), Tomás Cubelli -C- (Argentina), Bruno Postiglioni (Argentina), Arturo Ávalo (Uruguay), Mario Sagario (Uruguay), Cesar Fruttero (Argentina), Pablo Huete (Chile), Tomás de la Vega (Argentina), Javier Ortega Desio (Argentina), Antonio Ahualli (Argentina)

Replacements: Alejo Corral (Uruguay), Óscar Durán (Uruguay), Nicolás Klapenbach (Uruguay), Diego Magno (Uruguay), Juan Gaminara (Uruguay), Agustín Ormaechea(Uruguay), Mosiés Duque (Brasil), Santiago Gbernau (Uruguay)

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