England team: Steve Borthwick makes bold selection calls for All Blacks showdown as back earns first start and Henry Slade returns

England head coach Steve Borthwick has put his faith in the returning Henry Slade, with the Exeter centre named in the starting XV to face the All Blacks this weekend. 

He made a return to action last weekend in Exeter’s defeat to Harlequins and has been deemed fully fit to retake his place in England’s midfield – in a big blow for the in-form Alex Lozowski.

Henry Slade and Ben Spencer start in strong England XV

Elsewhere in the starting XV, Bath scrum-half Ben Spencer will make his first Test start for England this weekend, as he slots into Alex Mitchell’s vacant number nine jersey. He will partner up with Marcus Smith in the halves, with the Quins ace also named in the starting XV. The returning George Ford is named on the bench.

Spencer’s Bath teammate Ollie Lawrence will partner Slade in midfield, as he is named at 12. Rounding off the backline, Northampton Saints duo Tommy Freeman and George Furbank line up with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso in the back three.

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Up front, skipper Jamie George will link with Ellis Genge and Will Stuart in the front-row. Imposing locks Maro Itoje and George Martin once again partner up in the engine room, with Chandler Cunningham-South, Tom Curry and Ben Earl forming a formidable back-row.

Borthwick has opted for a 6:2 split on the bench, with Theo Dan, Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Ben Curry and Alex Dombrandt all named, and Harry Randall joins the aforementioned Ford as the other back option.

“Excited for the challenge”

Commenting on the squad selection, England head coach Borthwick said: “We’re excited for the challenge of playing against one of the best teams in world rugby.”

He added: “We’ll need to be accurate, keep our discipline, and maintain a level of intensity throughout the match, from the first whistle to the final moment.”

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“With just two games at Allianz Stadium in our last 15, it’s fantastic to be returning to play in front of our home crowd again. The energy and passion of our supporters always gives the team an extra lift.”

England head into the game off the back of two narrow defeats to the same opposition in the summer, so will be hoping for a different outcome this weekend.

England squad v All Blacks in full

England: 15 George Furbank, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Ben Curry, 21 Alex Dombrandt, 22 Harry Randall, 23 George Ford

Date: Saturday, November 2
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: 15:10 GMT
Referee: Angus Gardner (RA)
Assistant Referees: Pierre Brousset (FFR), Jordan Way (RA)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)

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