Saracens fly-half Owen Farrell will start for England in place of the injured Toby Flood against New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday.
Farrell is the only change to the starting XV, with Northampton lock Courtney Lawes coming onto the bench in place of Mouritz Botha and Gloucester fly-half Freddie Burns taking Farrell's place on the sidelines.
"We asked for a big response from the players after Australia and we got one last Saturday against South Africa, although ultimately we were denied. That frustration has been channelled this week and the whole squad has reacted with a determination to get a victory against the top team in the world," said England coach Stuart Lancaster.
"We are delighted that Courtney has got an opportunity. He has worked hard to get back in contention and what better game for him to make an impact.
"The same with Freddie Burns, who has had a great Premiership season so far, and we are looking forward to seeing him contribute should he get his chance."
More to follow...
England: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Mike Brown, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Alex Corbisiero.
Replacements: 16 David Paice, 17 David Wilson, 18 Mako Vunipola, 19 Courtney Lawes 20 James Haskell, 21 Danny Care, 22 Freddie Burns, 23 Jonathan Joseph.
Date: Saturday, 1 December
Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London
Kick-off: 14:30 GMT
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)
Television match official: Giulio De Santis (Italy)
Comments
APV1 says...
@ Headhunter99 - good to have you back. I was in Cardiff last week too and you're right, he was magnificent. Even from way up in the stands you could see his influence around the pitch and his impact as a captain. Robshaw can learn a lot from him.
Let's get behind them, folks, and give them our support. They are representing us and I for one want them to win.
Posted 10:47 30th November 2012
Headhunter99 says...
@APV1 - Well said.... One of the reasons i rarely post on here now is the negativity... I know its not the perfect or best side but we must just keep on getting behind them.
I saw the AB's in Cardiff last week and completely revised my opinion of King Ritchie... the man is a genius... hopefully some it may rub off on our back row
Posted 19:16 29th November 2012
Webbie says...
@ TVAddict: did you forget that NZ also have a bench full of exciting players to empty?
Posted 18:54 29th November 2012
ABlack says...
Oh well the English coaches and players are really rating themselves before the game and cant shut up about how good they are and how they were the better team against SA. They Lost.
When will they ever learn to have shut up and have some humbleness before the game???? England lacks credibility in everyones eyes except for their own as they always talk themselves up( like Wales the past 2 years)
The All Blacks( the best team in the world and the team with the best record in the history of Rugby) dont talk themslves up before the game, if anything they downplay their abilities and talk about the opposition( to the media anyway).
The AB's seem to use reverse psychology on the opposition and it WORKS EVERY TIME!!
Posted 18:00 29th November 2012
Jako says...
a good team i think. in my opinion, england fans calling for gloucester-style/running/flowing rugby are wrong. play to your strengths: england has a good pack for this test (the back row is more balanced than it was in the first tests), and will get a good share of possesion. you should aim to starve NZ of possesion and close them down effectively when they attack (barrit is, therefore RIGHT for this game. defending as he does, english fans shouldnt even care for his lack of offensive skills). take the points on EVERY ocassion- i sense the english pack will rise to the ocassion and get some penalties. they should throw the ball wide ONLY when the opportunity to do so appears. this may not happen at any point of the game, so dont despair. england can win this game with an effective, low risk, conservative game plan (as long as it is well executed). wouldnt mind if england play this way for the next 20 years, as long as it brings victories.
Posted 15:52 29th November 2012
TVaddict says...
Oh, and the fact that Clancy is refereeing is so depressing it makes me almost not want to watch the game. Please get rid of this ref.
Posted 15:06 29th November 2012
TVaddict says...
Goode is going to be completely out paced in this game. Brown should be at fullback where he belongs. Ashton is playing so negatively he shouldn't be near the team. Barritt doesn't have the pace or attacking threat to be in the team. Farrell isn't good enough at 10 for his club, let alone his country. Other than that this is an ok team...
On a lighter note our bench could make a hell of an impact. Imagine at 60 mins when players are getting a bit tired bring Vunipola and Wilson, two big ball carrying props on, followed by the hard dynamism and physicality of Lawes and Haskell. Then Care and Burns coming on, fresh and determined to attack from everywhere, with Tuilagi moving to 12 and Joseph coming on at 13. Heck, if we had some decent wingers on the pitch we might even score with the impact of these players.
Posted 14:35 29th November 2012
jamesliveinhope says...
Hope Clancy has a better game at the breakdown than he did in the Scotland v SA game (although the ABs don't seem to like hanging around on the floor like the Boks)
Posted 14:35 29th November 2012
jamesliveinhope says...
Just so we all understand, New Zealand are head and shoulders above the world at the moment probably the only team in the top 10 who's ranking is a true reflection of where they are.
I will argue that their back line is going to look a little long in the tooth come 2015 and Hansen needs to address that issue but for now there is no-one who can touch them.
UNLESS. The only way that anyone has beaten the ABs in about 15 years is by defensively shutting them down. Their biggest strength is their only weakness and that is the fact that their "A" game is so good, that they rarely take to the field with a "B" game.
If you can keep them out for long enough, the New Zealand of old would have started playing like they were chasing the game which leaves the odd defensive hole. Not sure whether the same can be said now because no-one has managed it for a few seasons but if I was going to pick a side to do that, I'd have Barritt at 12 and a kicking fly-half.
Posted 14:01 29th November 2012
lawynd says...
Farrell, if he wants to be a fly-half, has to insist that he plays there for Saracens. Irrespective of how anyone feels about his talents, he shouldn't be selected for England at 10 unless he is playing there for his club in the first place.
Personally, I don't think he's good enough in the position; I think he's a ball-playing 12. But he's not playing that position at Sarries either, and I think what talent he might have is going to go down the toilet in the long run unless he forces the issue or moves clubs. I might not have liked it as a Leicester fan, but Billy Twelvetrees made exactly the right call for the development of his career in moving to Gloucester. For my money, England's pivots going forward should be Flood, Burns and Ford and they, along with Twelvetrees at inside centre, need to be involved in the 6N come February.
Posted 13:49 29th November 2012
Kiwikev says...
Well the potential IRB Player of the year is in your side so England will undoubtedly win! smh
Posted 13:46 29th November 2012
melkdave says...
Not a bad team imo,hopefully it will give the ABs a close had fought game,and show improvement from the SA match.As others have pointed out its a very green England still,with alot of players under 10 caps .So the performances this aurtum have been good considering that aspect.That we can compete with the worlds best with such a green team is encouraging SL and co are moving England in the right direction ,high tempo,with off loads and good support play,with our traditional strengths should be a fairly potent mix come 2015 .Lets hope so anyway lol
Posted 13:27 29th November 2012
gazzabok says...
Gets shortlisted for the most prestigious award in rugby. Makes headlines when he gets selected for England.
FAIL.
Posted 13:02 29th November 2012
ramm83 says...
Apparently the NZ team have been struck down with Norovirus this week... Echoes of 95?
Posted 12:49 29th November 2012
jappers1983 says...
Not bad. My main concerns for the team are all related to the backline, though:
Carter/A Smith will expose Brown's (significant) positional shortcomings as a winger with their kicking. Jane can cover wing/full back as he has the all round game to do this. Dagg, when needed out wide for the AB's, as well. Brown cannot step and beat a player one on one and does not have the pure gas to play there.
Farrell is not a creative 10. I expect even more emphasis to fall on Tuilagi but against Smith, who's defence of the 13 channel is outstanding, the line breaks will be infrequent. This team is crying out for Joseph to play.
Ben Youngs. One good try against Australia two years ago and that's about it. Massively overrated. The try last week was his fault as he chose not to dive on it and instead boot it at an on-rushing South African who was about 1m away. His decision making is not good enough, his box kicking is all over the place, and he has a questionable temperament. Don't be surprised if McCaw, Messam, Read and the rest of those AB lumps target him and Youngs to spend 10 mins cooling down after another one of his tantrums.
England do not currently have enough variety to win. New Zealand by 10.
Posted 12:25 29th November 2012
Jediboy says...
This isn't a team to win big games I'm afraid to say. There has been little creativity and try scoring opportunities.
Ashton has been poor, doesn't look like scoring, and that pass to Brown last week was awful and potentially wasted a try scoring opportunity.
Farrell not good enough at this level, and I feel that 10 is a problem for us at the moment.
I think there are players Out there to provide some much needed creativity, it at the moment England are too one dimensional and too predictable.
Posted 12:02 29th November 2012
ArmchairGeneral says...
Death row for Ashton. One botched scoring opportunity and Joseph to 13 with Manu shifing to wing. Given that the weak link is currently wing I'd like to have seen Biggs start with Ashton on the bench. Or Biggs on bench. Wrong game to start Joseph so happy with the centres for this game. Farrell in the picture looks a tad like Beckham; he's a footballer, sorry. There is some similarity in what they bring to the team other than teeth and hairstyle. Great passing, kicking, tackling and a touch slow on the break and in the head. Please step up Owen. Dont fall to the Carter hand-off; it's powerful enough to put an in form Vickery on his ass and Fez sometimes stands up and faces when tackling backs which Carter will have spotted.
Posted 11:50 29th November 2012
Frooschman says...
Rumours of a vomiting bug sweeping through the AB camp. Anyone seen Suzie?
Posted 11:35 29th November 2012
APV1 says...
PAH!
It is what it is, so let's get behind them. I disagree with some of the players both starting and in the squad (and missing from it, of course). But we'll all be shouting ourselves hoarse, won't we?
Posted 11:28 29th November 2012
GCP_jones says...
Farrell, is after all one of the best rugby players on the planet, he will turn the tide against the Men In Black and return the Red Rose to its rightful place at the top of the table.
Good to see Freddie Burns get a look in.
I hope England put in a decent performance but I reckon the AB's will continue their unbeaten run in the Autumn Internationals into its 11th year.
Never mind the Lions touring the Southern hemisphere they should get together every November to try and beat the top 3.
Posted 11:26 29th November 2012