Teenager promoted

England will unleash another exciting 19-year-old on the Five Nations Championship this weekend - uncapped Sale wing Steve Hanley…

England will unleash another exciting 19-year-old on the Five Nations Championship this weekend - uncapped Sale wing Steve Hanley.

The teenage Cumbrian completes a startling transformation from fourth division club player to fully-fledged international in just over a year.

Hanley's prodigious try-scoring ability, pace, size and strength has seen him win England coach Clive Woodward's vote to replace injured Sale team-mate David Rees.

Hanley will play in his club position of left wing, Harlequins's Dan Luger switches to the right as one of two changes from last month's emphatic Twickenham victory over deposed Five Nations champions France.

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The other switch is an enforced one, Northampton scrum-half Matt Dawson reclaiming the number nine jersey from his fellow Lion, injured Saracens star Kyran Bracken.

Woodward has also had no hesitation in putting Leicester's Austin Healey on the replacements' bench as wing and scrum-half cover, even though he has not played since February 13th due to an eight-week ban.

Healey was suspended after being cited by London Irish for stamping on scrum-half Kevin Putt during a Premiership game. Leicester suspended him for three weeks, and the English Rugby Football Union then added their own five-week sentence.

Hanley is the major talking point, though, having scored a dozen Premiership tries in a Sale side that has largely struggled this season.

At 6 ft 4 in tall, 16-stone and boasting a best time for the 100 metres of 11 seconds, his impact on a Grand Slam-chasing England side could be devastating.

He has beaten the more experienced Tony Underwood to replace Rees, Woodward confirming that he had made his selection very much on form.

"It is a big decision to put a young guy in such a big game, but I am very excited and looking forward to the prospect of seeing Steve Hanley play for England," Woodward said.