Eastmond talent excites Lancaster

Stuart Lancaster hailed Kyle Eastmond's creative potential after naming the Bath centre in the England side to play a South American XV in Montevideo on Sunday.

Eastmond will make his first senior start in a side featuring 13 changes from last Sunday's 40-12 victory over the Barbarians and captained by Northampton flanker Tom Wood.

"He has got great feet and balance and he is very strong and powerful, but what he has also got is great timing and execution of his passing," Lancaster said.

"His ability to put people through holes is right up there at the highest level and we have to find the tools to allow him to execute that. He has an opportunity to do that from 12.

"He is different to Jason Robinson. Jason was a strike-running outside back. Kyle is very much a ball-player. He is very comfortable at first receiver and that is what makes him dangerous."

Eastmond will form an ex-rugby league midfield with Northampton centre Luther Burrell, while Ben Foden gets a chance to press his Test claims with a start at full-back. Scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth and flanker Tom Johnson are the only two players retained in the starting line-up from the Barbarians game.

Johnson switches to openside to make room for Wood, who is one of five Northampton players in the starting line-up along with Burrell, Foden, lock Courtney Lawes and fly-half Stephen Myler. Joe Marler, David Paice and Henry Thomas will pack down in the front row, with new Wasps recruit Kearnan Myall joining Lawes in the engine room.

Saracens-bound number eight Billy Vunipola is set to make his first senior England start the day after his brother, Mako, plays for the British and Irish Lions in Hong Kong. Gloucester wing Jonny May and Saracens' David Strettle will start alongside Foden in the back three.

England team: B Foden (Northampton); J May (Gloucester), L Burrell (Northampton), K Eastmond (Bath), D Strettle (Saracens); S Myler (Northampton), R Wigglesworth (Saracens); J Marler (Harlequins), D Paice (London Irish), H Thomas (Sale Sharks), C Lawes (Northampton), K Myall (unattached), T Wood (Northampton, capt), T Johnson (Exeter), B Vunipola (Wasps).

Replacements: R Buchanan (Harlequins), A Corbisiero (London Irish), P Doran-Jones (Northampton), D Attwood (Bath), M Kvesic (Worcester), L Dickson (Northampton), F Burns (Gloucester), J Joseph (London Irish).