England team to face New Zealand in Dunedin
Head coach Steve Borthwick has named the England team to play New Zealand at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Saturday.
There is two changes to the starting XV that beat Japan in Tokyo, as Joe Marler and Will Stuart make up the front row alongside captain Jamie George.
- Kick off 8:05am BST
- Preview: NZ v England
- Watch live on Sky Sports
Prop Fin Baxter and wing Ollie Sleightholme are poised to win their first England caps from the bench. Alex Coles and Ben Spencer are also called into the match day 23, alongside Theo Dan, Dan Cole, Tom Curry and Fin Smith.
Cole will win his 114th cap to equal Jason Leonard as England's second most capped men's player.
Team to play New Zealand
Starting
15. George Furbank
13. Henry Slade – vice-captain
12. Ollie Lawrence
11. Tommy Freeman
10. Marcus Smith
1. Joe Marler – vice-captain
2. Jamie George – captain
3. Will Stuart
4. Maro Itoje – vice-captain
8. Ben Earl – vice-captain
Replacements
16. Theo Dan
17. Fin Baxter
18. Dan Cole
19. Alex Coles
20. Tom Curry
21. Ben Spencer
22. Fin Smith
Borthwick on Selection
“It doesn’t get more challenging than playing New Zealand at home, but it’s exactly where we want to be. We want to find out more about ourselves and test ourselves against one of the best teams in the world.
“Test rugby is a game of fine margins, so our mindset is going to be very important on Saturday. We’ll need to be mentally strong, play a tactically smart game and ensure we maintain our discipline.
“The Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin is a great venue with a quick surface, and the closed roof should make the atmosphere very special.”