England Set to Face New Zealand in Autumn Nations Series Opener at Twickenham

England will face New Zealand for the third consecutive match as they kick off a challenging Autumn Nations Series at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

The team is eager to secure a victory at home after struggling to maintain leads during two summer Test defeats in New Zealand.

Currently ranked fifth in the world behind Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, and France, England also experienced a narrow loss to France in their final Six Nations match.

Head coach Steve Borthwick, whose team has won four out of eight games this year, is keen for his players to demonstrate their learning from these close encounters.

“There was a time not long ago when we weren’t competing against the top four sides in the world,” Borthwick said. “Now we are, but I want to ensure we finish the job properly. I commend the players for their efforts and the good things they’ve accomplished, but we have also lost games that we could have won.”

Following their clash with New Zealand, England will take on Australia on November 9, world champions South Africa on November 16, and Eddie Jones’ Japan on November 24.

Preparations for the Series

The squad has seen a resurgence since last year’s World Cup semi-final defeat to South Africa, with a wave of young talent joining the ranks. However, the recent departures of defence coach Felix Jones—just seven months after joining—and highly regarded strength and conditioning coach Aled Walters have led to a period of transition.

Joe El-Abd, head coach of Oyonnax and a former flatmate of Borthwick, will step in as defence coach, aiming to build on the successful ‘blitz’ defence established by his predecessor. Richard Wigglesworth has been promoted to assistant coach.

The team is also adjusting to the loss of starting scrum-half Alex Mitchell for the entire campaign due to a neck injury, necessitating changes in that critical position.

Ben Spencer, who has yet to start a Test, came on during England’s disappointing Six Nations defeat against Scotland

Other options include Leicester Tigers’ Jack van Poortvliet, who was the starting scrum-half before an ankle injury ruled him out of the World Cup, and in-form Bristol Bear Harry Randall.

The return of experienced centre Henry Slade during Exeter’s Premiership match on Sunday is expected to provide a boost to the squad.