Preview:England vs. New Zealand - prediction, team news, lineup

The most anticipated encounter of the Quilter Nations Series arrives when England lock horns with New Zealand on Saturday, November 15.

The hosts are enjoying a purple patch of form but have not overcome the All Black juggernaut for six years, setting up a tasty affair at Twickenham.

Match preview

England made it nine wins on the bounce when they dispatched Fiji last weekend, despite going into half time with just a one-point lead.

The Red Roses came out in the second period and crushed the Flying Fijians, scoring 24 points to just five, ending 38-18.

That could have been a precursor of what to expect this weekend, especially since Steve Borthwick’s charges are on their longest win streak since an 18-game sequence between 2015 and 2017.

The hosts clearly have more attacking rhythm these days, evident in the fact that they have scored a minimum of three tries in each of their last seven outings, registering a total of 40, while reducing their opponents to just 14 in that sequence.

However, Borthwick’s troops still enter this fixture as underdogs; they have not beaten the All Blacks since their 19-7 triumph in the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Last week’s 90% tackle success rate is exactly what the home side need against a slippery and powerful New Zealand, while their tackle evasion rate of 25% is the highest among Tier One teams this year - something they must replicate to get over the whitewash.

New Zealand made it two in two for their Quilter Nations Series with a hard-fought 25-17 victory against Scotland last weekend.

The scoreline suggests it was plain sailing for the All Blacks, but it was anything but that, with the Scots fighting back from 17-0 in the first half to level the scores with 20 minutes to play.

In the end, Scott Robertson’s men showed their class and made two scores to make the result safe and bag their 12th win in their last 13 against European opposition.

While the visitors dominate this fixture historically, the gap has been closing recently, with each of their last four wins arriving by a converted try or less.

When these sides met last year, England were coasting at 22-14 with 13 minutes to play, when the All Blacks drew level and slotted in a 77th-minute conversion to break English hearts and win the test 24-22.

England Quilter Nations Series form:

England form (all competitions):

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New Zealand Quilter Nations Series form:

New Zealand form (all competitions):

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Team News

England coach Borthwick has made seven changes to the team that defeated Fiji last week, with captain Maro Itoje returning to the starting lineup after coming off the bench to score a try last weekend.

Jamie George, George Ford and Ellis Genge will support him as vice-captains, while Freddie Steward, Tom Roebuck, Fin Baxter and Sam Underhill all enter the starting XV.

Number eight Ben Earl has put in back-to-back man-of-the-match performances, as he is everywhere England need him when he takes to the field.

Fin Smith, Ollie Chessum and Tommy Freeman all miss out after picking up injuries in last weekend’s encounter.

The All Blacks have seen Samipeni Finau and Luke Jacobson head home due to family and injury reasons, respectively.

Christian Lio-Willie, Josh Beehre and Caleb Tangitau have been drafted in as cover for Robertson’s men.

Captain Scott Barrett is likely to return after missing last week with a leg laceration, while Caleb Clarke failed his HIA and is in a 12-day stand-down period.

The coach may be tempted to shift things around in his backline with either Sevu Reece or Rieko Ioane deployed as specialist wingers.

Damian McKenzie has to settle for the bench despite coming on and scoring the try and penalty to win the game last weekend, while he was also responsible for that late conversion last year that handed the All Blacks victory.

Jordie Barrett is battling an ankle issue and will not be available for selection.

England starting lineup:

15 Freddie Stewart, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Guy Pepper, 5 Alex Coles, 4 Maro Itoje (captain), 3 Joe Hayes, 2 Jamie George, 1 Fin Baxter

Replacements:

16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Chandler Cunningham-South, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Ben Spencer, 23 Marcus Smith

New Zealand starting lineup:

15 Will Jordan, 14 Leroy Carter, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Peter Lakai, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Fabian Holland, 4 Scott Barrett (captain), 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot

Replacements:

16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Josh Lord, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Damian McKenzie

Head To Head

These teams have clashed 46 times in their history, with the All Blacks winning 36 of them, while England have secured just eight victories and two draws.