Underperforming England team playing for its future against Ireland in Six Nations

England's players are competing for more than pride when they take on Ireland in the Six Nations on Saturday.

Although neither team can win the title after losing two of their four matches, the English players will be trying to prove themselves worthy of a place in a 32-man elite squad set to be announced in the summer.

The Rugby Football Union has reached an eight-year agreement with England's 12 Premiership clubs to free players for international matches and compensate teams with an average year's salary for each.

The lineups for England's fixtures will be selected from that elite roster, putting pressure on players to perform this weekend and clinch one of those berths.

"After this game, when the new agreement between the RFU and the clubs kicks in, there is going to be a lot of money crossing palms and some big decisions will be made," England captain Phil Vickery said. "People need to prove their worth. If they don't, I don't think they're going to be involved."

One of those players seeking to edge their way into the elite squad is Danny Cipriani, who will make his first international start at Twickenham after coach Brian Ashton opted to drop Jonny Wilkinson.

The World Cup-winning flyhalf became international rugby's all-time leading scorer in last weekend's loss at Scotland, but Wilkinson's erratic performances this season led Ashton to hand Cipriani the No. 10 shirt.

Cipriani missed his chance to debut at fullback last week when he was dropped for visiting a nightclub in the lead up to the match, but he now gets a more appropriate chance to prove he could be Wilkinson's heir as the national side's playmaker.

"You can't replace Jonny as a person or player," Cipriani said. "But hopefully I've been selected for the way I play for Wasps, so I don't want to change too much.

"My task is to make the flyhalf jersey my own, but this weekend is about getting a team win and that's what I'll be thinking about."

The change at flyhalf, which could have ended Wilkinson's decade-long stint as first choice, is the only one to the team that was outfought at Murrayfield.

Cipriani has been drafted in to improve the side's decision making and kicking, and Vickery wants the rest of his teammates to justify their inclusion.

"There could have been a case for making massive changes," Vickery said. "We'd have had a better chance of winning against Scotland if we'd never had the ball. If we'd just given it to them and defended all game I think the score would have been closer."

Ireland, though, has its sights set on third place with flyhalf Ronan O'Gara set to lead the team for the first time.

O'Gara is his country's leading scorer and eighth on the all-time test points list. He was handed the captaincy when Brian O'Driscoll was ruled out after he tore his hamstring in last week's 16-12 loss to Wales.

Geordan Murphy will start at fullback after passing a fitness test on his Achilles, allowing Rob Kearney to switch to his regular left wing spot and Tommy Bowe switch back to the right.

Andrew Trimble moves to center in place of O'Driscoll, who will be out for up to four weeks, and Shane Horgan was brought into the midfield.

"There is a sense that beating England will right a lot of the wrongs of this year's Six Nations," Kearney said. "Beating England at Twickenham is a formidable challenge and it's a great achievement when you manage it.

"On paper there's nothing left to play for, but inside we all know there's a huge amount."