Lewis Moody takes over the captaincy duties while Leicester teammate Louis Deacon comes into the side to partner Simon Shaw in the second row after Borthwick failed to recover from a knee injury.

Martin Johnson had wanted to give his skipper as much time as possible to prove his fitness but on Friday he had to bite the bullet.

The move robs England of their best lineout jumper with Stade Francais lock Tom Palmer being promoted to the bench.

Moody’s promotion to the captaincy comes as a surprise after the flanker was dropped for last week’s 15-15 Calcutta Cup draw.

It is the first time the 2003 World Cup winner has led his country as he prepares to win his 61st cap.