Hodgson and Webber earn Lancaster’s Murrayfield call

Stuart Lancaster has named three uncapped players in his squad for the Six Nations opener against Scotland, with Charlie Hodgson also earning a recall.

Halifax-born Hodgson starts at fly-half and forms a pivotal partnership with his Saracens team-mates and fellow debutants Brad Barritt and Owen Farrell in the centres.

Northampton Saints’ Phil Dowson is the third debutant at No 8.

Five more uncapped players on the replacements’ bench, with Pocklington-born Rob Webber among them.

The London Wasps hooker is set to make his debut from the bench.

Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers), Ben Morgan (Scarlets), Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints) and Jordan Turner-Hall (Harlequins) are the others.

Head Coach Stuart Lancaster said: “We have been impressed with how the whole group has come together in the last 10 days and we have done a lot of work on and off the field.

“Now is the time to turn all that into a performance against Scotland that we can all be proud of. It is a massive challenge – Murrayfield, the first game of the Six Nations – but one we are relishing.”

England: Ben Foden (Northampton Saints), Chris Ashton (Northampton Saints), Brad Barritt (Saracens)*, Owen Farrell (Saracens)*, David Strettle (Saracens), Charlie Hodgson (Saracens), Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers); Alex Corbisiero (London Irish), Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Mouritz Botha (Saracens), Tom Palmer (Stade Francais), Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins, capt), Phil Dowson (Northampton Saints)*. Replacements: Rob Webber (London Wasps)*, Matt Stevens (Saracens), Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers)*, Ben Morgan (Scarlets)*, Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints)*, Jordan Turner-Hall (Harlequins)*, Mike Brown (Harlequins).