Luther Burrell and Jonathan Joseph form a new-look midfield partnership, as England recalled four British and Irish Lions for Friday’s Six Nations opener against Wales at the Millennium Stadium.
Dan Cole starts at tighthead prop, while Leicester Tigers teammates Tom Youngs and Tom Croft, as well as Saracens loosehead Mako Vunipola, are included among the replacements.
All four played some part in England’s 3 / 30 defeat at the same venue two years ago and will be itching to set the record straight.
Cole comes in for David Wilson (Bath) to win a 46th cap in a pack showing four changes from the one that started the final 2014 year-end Test against Australia.
Lock George Kruis (Saracens) and blindside flank James Haskell (Wasps) replace injured Northampton Saints duo Tom Wood and Courtney Lawes, with Billy Vunipola (Saracens) taking over from Ben Morgan (Gloucester), who is recovering from a broken leg, at No 8.
Burrell (Northampton Saints) and Joseph (Bath) take up the centre berths in the only changes to the backs – Ben Youngs, George Ford, Jonny May, Anthony Watson and Mike Brown are all retained by Stuart Lancaster.
Nick Easter of Harlequins and Sale Sharks talisman Danny Cipriani are also rewarded for excellent club form with places on the bench.
Elsewhere, powerful Newcastle Falcons tighthead Kieran Brookes will look to continue a string of eye-catching cameos stretching back to his Test debut against New Zealand last June.
Richard Wigglesworth and Billy Twelvetrees stave off stiff competition to claim the final two spots, both boasting previous experience of the Cardiff atmosphere and composed game management.
England coach Lancaster said: “We’ve had to make some tight calls, but we are excited about the side selected for what will be a big challenge.
“JJ has been one of the form centres in the country. He and Luther have trained well together and this is a big opportunity for both of them.
“Billy Vunipola has also been playing well for Saracens and it’s good to be able to give George Kruis his first international start after his impressive run off the bench in November.
“Dan Cole and James Haskell bring a lot of experience, as do the bench, and their contribution will be crucial on Friday.”
England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Chris Robshaw (Captain), 6 James Haskell, 5 George Kruis, 4 David Attwood, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 Tom Youngs, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Tom Croft, 20 Nick Easter, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Danny Cipriani, 23 Billy Twelvetrees.
Date: Friday 6 Februray
Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-Off: 20:05 BST & GMT (22:05 SA Time)
Referee: Jérôme Garcès
Assistant Referees: Romain Poite, Mathieu Raynal
TMO: Simon McDowell