Hodge and Fisilau to start England A’s Spanish fixture

Exeter Chiefs’ full-back Josh Hodge and back-row Greg Fisilau have both retained their starting spots for England A’s second autumn fixture against Spain in Valladolid.

Both men featured in last Saturday’s 14-31 defeat to an All Blacks XV side at the Recreation Ground in Bath, with Hodge scoring an impressive try in the first half.

Ethan Roots, who captained the side last weekend, has returned to the Chiefs squad so Bristol Bears’ Fitz Harding takes on captaincy duties.

An impressive 19 of the 23 have previously represented England at U18 or U20 level.

Head coach Mark Mapletoft said: “Our result in Bath has given us many learnings to take into a fresh challenge in Spain.

“Having the opportunity to play rugby in Spain is a rare honour and an opportunity our young group are eager to seize. We’re thankful to Pablo Bouza and his team and his team and look forward to creating an exciting contest in Valladolid.”

The game will kick off at 16:00 on Saturday, 15 November at the Estadio Jose Zurrillo and will be broadcast live on RugbyPass TV.