England reshuffle front row in team to face All Blacks

Steve Borthwick has named the England team that will look to tackle New Zealand in the opening Test of their July Series on Saturday.

The team features two changes from the side that beat Japan in Tokyo last month, with a front-row switch seeing Joe Marler and Will Stuart start alongside captain Jamie George.

Test rookies Fin Baxter and Ollie Sleightholme have been named on the bench, set for potential debuts under the roof in Dunedin.

“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.”

England team to play New Zealand

15. George Furbank

14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso

13. Henry Slade – vice-captain

12. Ollie Lawrence

11. Tommy Freeman

10. Marcus Smith

9. Alex Mitchell

1. Joe Marler – vice-captain

2. Jamie George – captain

3. Will Stuart

4. Maro Itoje – vice-captain

5. George Martin

6. Chandler Cunningham-South

7. Sam Underhill

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

23. Ollie Sleightholme