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England go for Farrell, Burgess

London - England will start with Owen Farrell at flyhalf and a centre partnership of Sam Burgess and Brad Barritt for their pivotal Rugby World Cup Pool A game against Wales, British media reported on Tuesday.

With outside centre Jonathan Joseph ruled out due to injury, coach Stuart Lancaster is set to play Farrell in place of George Ford and bring rugby league convert Burgess in at inside centre.

Farrell and Burgess would add ballast to the midfield but Joseph's pace and creativity could be missed by the hosts who beat Fiji 35-11 in their opening game without hitting top form.

Lancaster could have brought in Henry Slade as a straight replacement for Joseph but has decided the Exeter centre, who has only one cap, is not ready to face Wales in such an important game.

Billy Vunipola is set to be named at number eight in place of Ben Morgan after impressing as a replacement against Fiji and scoring England's fourth try in the final minute.

Joe Launchbury, who also came on against Fiji and added pace and power to the forward pack, is also pushing for a recall in the second row ahead of Geoff Parling.

Lancaster will name his team on Thursday.

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