England will be hoping that Ollie Lawrence’s switch to outside center against Australia will allow the Bath star to bring his ball-carrying abilities to the forefront on Saturday.
The 25-year-old started at inside center in England’s opening Autumn Nations series loss to New Zealand, but has played a key role in Bath’s rise to the top of the Premiership since the 13th.
Henry Slade previously started all of England’s Tests at outside center this year and the switch of positions with Lawrence was the only change Steve Borthwick made as he looks to end a three-match winless run on Saturday.
“I want Ollie to touch the ball in as much space as possible. He gets forward for us.” England head coach Richard Wigglesworth told BBC Sport.
“I want the players to show exactly what they can do and give their best on the pitch.
“The numbers on the back are interchangeable in how you can best position them to show off certain transition items and skills.”
Despite having great difficulty beating the All Blacks, Borthwick’s side only managed one breakaway attempt, via an Immanuel Feyi-Waboso wing.
Lawrence had just two carries in the game (tied for the fewest with props Ellis Genge and Will Stuart). However, he topped England’s tackle statistics with 27 tackles statistics.
This will be the eighth successive match in which Slade and Lawrence have been paired in England’s midfield, with both having previously swapped positions in Test matches while their shirt numbers have changed.
One standout example came from this year’s Six Nations when Slade set up Lawrence to score a crucial try against France in Lyon just before half-time.
The decision was not entirely up to the coach after both England centers gave their input to staff on how the shift could help them get the most out of a dangerous defensive line.
“I do it anyway, I switch all the time, whether it’s offense or defence, but this week I’m more focused on being in a wider channel and I think we can explore that,” Lawrence added.
“I appreciate that Steve gave us the green light to create a rift.”
