England have received a timely double boost with Jonny Wilkinson and Olly Barkley both returning to the starting line-up to face Samoa in Nantes next Saturday.

Wilkinson, the Newcastle fly half, will make his first start of the tournament after an ankle ligament problem ruled him out of the games with USA and South Africa. Barkley, who missed the Springboks game due to a hip problem, is also back, lining up at inside centre instead of Andy Farrell, who drops to the bench.

As expected, Brian Ashton, the England head coach, has made sweeping changes following his team's record 36-0 World Cup loss to South Africa. Jason Robinson, Mike Catt, Shaun Perry and Tom Rees all fail to make the 22, while Jamie Noon has returned home for further treatment on a tournament-ending knee injury.

Lawrence Dallaglio has also failed to force his way in, with Ashton retaining Nick Easter, the Harlequins number eight, in the back row alongside Martin Corry, the captain, and Wasps' Joe Worsley. Elsewhere in the pack, George Chuter, the Leicester hooker, is preferred to Mark Regan for his World Cup debut.

But Ashton's major surgery has taken place behind the scrum, where only Paul Sackey, the Wasps wing, remains in his original starting position from the South Africa game last Friday. Josh Lewsey is moved from wing to full back instead of hamstring victim Robinson, with Mark Cueto featuring in the Number 14 shirt. Barkley and Mathew Tait form a new centre partnership, while Wilkinson replaces Catt and Andy Gomarsall, the Harlequins scrum-half, ousts Shaun Perry. Perry was substituted at half-time following a miserable opening 40 minutes against South Africa, and 2003 World Cup winner Gomarsall now has a clear chance to stake his claim for the rest of this tournament.

Much will be expected of Wilkinson to get England back on a winning track after their shambolic effort at the hands of South Africa. England must beat Samoa to keep themselves in the qualifying picture from pool A, although their appointment with Tonga in Paris on Friday week will still effectively be an eliminator for the quarter finals.

Provided England beat Samoa and Tonga, their likely opponents in the last eight will be Australia, but Ashton can only concentrate on the next ten days which will make or break England's World Cup campaign.

England team to play Samoa: Josh Lewsey; Paul Sackey, Mathew Tait, Olly Barkley, Mark Cueto; Jonny Wilkinson, Andy Gomarsall; Nick Easter, Joe Worsley, Martin Corry (capt); Ben Kay, Simon Shaw; Matt Stevens, George Chuter, Andrew Sheridan

Replacements: Mark Regan, Perry Freshwater, Steve Borthwick, Lewis Moody, Peter Richards, Andy Farrell, Danny Hipkiss