Borthwick’s England Seek Historic New Zealand Win in Dunedin Showdown
England face a daunting task as they prepare to take on the mighty All Blacks in the first of two summer internationals in New Zealand. Steve Borthwick’s side enters the series buoyed by a convincing 52-17 warm-up victory over Eddie Jones’ Japan, where standout performances from Marcus Smith, Alex Mitchell and Chandler Cunningham-South caught the eye.
However, a far sterner challenge awaits the Red Roses as they travel to Dunedin to face the All Blacks, a team in transition under new head coach Scott Robertson but still a formidable unit that narrowly lost the World Cup final just nine months ago. England victories on Kiwi soil are rare, with only two previous triumphs in 1973 and 2003, though they came close in 2014 with a 20-15 defeat in Auckland.
“It doesn’t get more challenging than playing New Zealand at home, but it’s exactly where we want to be,” said England boss Borthwick. “We want to find out more about ourselves and test ourselves against one of the best teams in the world.”
The battle of the two No. 8s will be key, with England seeking to secure only their third-ever win over the All Blacks on New Zealand turf. Joe Marler and Will Stuart come into the starting lineup as the sole changes from the Japan victory, while Harlequins’ Fin Baxter and Northampton’s Ollie Sleightholme await debuts off the bench.
New Zealand, led by captain Scott Barrett, field a strong and experienced side, but there is no place for veteran fly-half Beauden Barrett, with Stephen Perofeta preferred at full-back. Scrum-half TJ Perenara returns after missing the World Cup through injury.
Kick-off in Dunedin is at 8:05am BST on Saturday, with Sky Sports providing live coverage in the UK.
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