England vs. New Zealand
- When: Saturday 10 November
- Where: Twickenham Stadium, London
- Start time: 3pm
- TV channel: live on Sky Sports Action
Chris Ashton has been named in the England starting XV to face world champions New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday.
Sale winger Ashton came off the bench against South Africa last weekend for his first England appearance since 2014. The 31-year-old, who has 19 tries in 40 international matches, scored a try when England last beat New Zealand in 2012.
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Announcing his squad today England head coach Eddie Jones has made three changes to the team that beat South Africa 12-11.
Ashton comes in on the wing in place of Jack Nowell, the BBC reports. Nowell drops to the bench. Exeter’s Ben Moon is named as loose-head prop in place of Alec Hepburn while Sam Underhill replaces the injured Tom Curry at open-side flanker.
Hepburn and Courtney Lawes join Nowell on the bench but there is no place in the squad for Manu Tuilagi.
Speaking at today’s squad announcement head coach Jones said he was looking forward to taking on the all-conquering All Blacks.
“The expectation for Saturday is no different to any other Test match,” said Jones. “We want to be at our best, better than we were in the previous Test match and we want to play with pride and passion which ignites the fans.
“It’s been a good week, the players have recovered well, trained well on Tuesday, exceptionally well on Wednesday and we look forward to the challenge of taking on New Zealand on Saturday.”
Sonny Bill keeps place
All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen has also named his side for the Twickenham clash with Sonny Bill Williams and Damian McKenzie selected in the starting XV. Williams has retained his place at centre while McKenzie starts at full-back.
Hansen has opted to go with two playmakers against England, Sky Sports reports, with McKenzie “set to work in tandem” with fly-half Beauden Barrett.
“We think against sides that play a little differently than we do, having two playmakers makes it a lot harder for them to shut us down,” said Hansen.
“It also takes away the frustration of that person who is shut down when he’s out there solo. It takes that away because he’s got someone else to take a bit of the heat.”
Starting XVs and finishers
England starting XV: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ben Te’o, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell (co-captain), 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Ben Moon, 2 Dylan Hartley (co-captain), 3 Kyle Sinckler, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Kruis, 6 Brad Shields, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Mark WilsonFinishers: 16 Jamie George, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Charlie Ewels, 20 Courtney Lawes, 21 Danny Care, 22 George Ford, 23 Jack Nowell
New Zealand starting XV: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe, 2 Codie Taylor, 3 Owen Franks, 4 Sam Whitelock, 5 Brodie Retallick, 6 Liam Squire, 7 Ardie Savea, 8 Kieran Read (captain)Finishers: 16 Dane Coles, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Matt Todd, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Richie Mo’unga, 23 Ryan Crotty
Autumn international fixtures and TV guide
Saturday 10 November
- 2pm: Italy vs. Georgia (Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence; live on Premier Sports)
- 2.30pm: Scotland vs. Fiji (Murrayfield, Edinburgh; live on BBC One)
- 3pm: England vs. New Zealand (Twickenham, London; live on Sky Sports Action)
- 5.20pm: Wales vs. Australia (Principality Stadium, Cardiff; live on BBC Two)
- 6.30pm: Ireland vs. Argentina (Aviva Stadium, Dublin; live on Channel 4)
- 7.45pm: France vs. South Africa (Stade de France, Paris; live on Premier Sports)
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