Robshaw is the only capped member of England’s back five in the scrum, with Gloucester's Dave Attwood, Leicester lock Geoff Parling, Leeds flanker Hendre Fourie and Wasps No.8 Dan Ward-Smith all set to make their debuts.

And manager Martin Johnson hopes his side can get off to a good start with next year’s World Cup in New Zealand firmly at the front of his mind.

“We want to win the Test and we want to develop young players – that's the balance,” he said. “But we're not here just fulfilling fixtures, there's a World Cup in 2011.

“A lot of young players have never been on a trip like this, it's not like being in a Test match back home.

“We have guys who have been involved in a Lions tour but England have never done anything like this for ten years.”

England: Armitage (London Irish), Banahan (Bath), Tait (Sale Sharks), Barkley (Bath), Monye (Harlequins), Hodgson (Sale Sharks), Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks), Flatman (Bath), Mears (Bath), Wilson (Bath), Attwood (Gloucester), Parling (Leicester), Robshaw (Harlequins), Fourie (Leeds), Ward-Smith (Wasps)

Replacements: Chuter (Leicester), Doran-Jones (Gloucester), Lawes (Northampton), Worsley (Wasps), Hodgson (London Irish), Geraghty (Northampton), Waldouck (Wasps)