Wilko keeps England place

Jonny Wilkinson will start England's clash with Italy, but Andrew Sheridan is out injured.

Five changes made for visit to Rome

Despite England's shock 26-19 defeat against Wales at the weekend, Jonny Wilkinson has retained the number 10 jersey ahead of Sunday's RBS Six Nations clash with Italy. However, prop Andrew Sheridan has become England's latest injury casualty. Although Wilkinson kicked 14 points against Wales, his overall display left some pundits believing that coach Brian Ashton should have dropped him for the first time in his 10-year Test career. Alternatives are certainly available, with Danny Cipriani, Charlie Hodgson and Shane Geraghty all in the squad, and yet Ashton has chosen to keep faith with the World Cup-winner. Meanwhile, Sheridan, who dominated Australia's front row during last October's World Cup quarter-final, is replaced by Wasps forward Tim Payne, who wins his sixth cap. Details of Sheridan's injury will be released at the England training camp in Bath later on Wednesday. It is another huge setback for Ashton's side, with Sheridan joining centre Mike Tindall (bruised liver), wing David Strettle (foot) and flanker Lewis Moody (Achilles), who were all injured at Twickenham on Saturday, together with Moody's replacement, Tom Rees (knee ligament).

Five changes

In total, Ashton has made five changes, with Newcastle centre Jamie Noon replacing Tindall to form an all-Falcons midfield alongside Wilkinson and Toby Flood. It will be Noon's first England appearance since a knee injury forced him out of the World Cup last September. Elsewhere, Lesley Vainikolo, who made his debut as a replacement for Strettle last Saturday, will make a first Test start, while Bath flanker Michael Lipman and Harlequins number eight Nick Easter both come into the back row. After a series of impressive club performances, Lipman earns a fourth cap - and a Six Nations debut - with World Cup regular Easter returning following a knee injury that has sidelined him since December 29.

No place for Narraway

Meanwhile, the return of Easter means there is no place for Gloucester forward Luke Narraway, who started against Wales but now drops down to the bench. Had Easter not been declared fit - he has missed Harlequins' last four Premiership and Heineken Cup games - England's potential back row in Rome of James Haskell, Lipman and Narraway would have contained just seven caps between them. Easter, 29, played a pivotal role during England's march to the World Cup final last autumn, starting the vital pool games against Samoa and Tonga, then retaining his place for subsequent victories over Australia and France. Despite the Wales debacle, England will head to Rome as firm favourites, having won on all four previous Six Nations visits to Stadio Flaminio and racking up just over 46 points on each visit. England: 15 I Balshaw (Gloucester), 14 P Sackey (Wasps), 13 J Noon (Newcastle), 12 T Flood (Newcastle), 11 L Vainikolo (Gloucester), 10 J Wilkinson (Newcastle), 9 A Gomarsall (Harlequins); 1 T Payne (Wasps), 2 M Regan (Bristol), 3 P Vickery (Wasps, capt), 4 S Shaw (Wasps), 5 S Borthwick (Bath), 6 J Haskell (Wasps), 7 M Lipman (Bath), 8 N Easter (Harlequins)
Replacements: 16 L Mears (Bath), 17 M Stevens (Bath), 18 B Kay (Leicester), 19 L Narraway (Gloucester), 20 R Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks), 21 D Cipriani (Wasps), 22 M Tait (Newcastle)