All Blacks Test Week: Predicting Steve Borthwick's England Squad to face New Zealand in Dunedin

The England squad have since travelled down to the land of the All Blacks, and are getting over their jet lag with some tough sessions in the North Harbour Stadium. We are set to hear from two England young guns later today, as Manny Feyi-Waboso and George Furbank chat with the media from the heart of the England camp.

Borthwick is set to name his squad on either Wednesday or Thursday this week, with the England head coach keeping his opponents guessing on his preparations for now. Borthwick is set to go toe-to-toe along the touchline with Scott Robertson, as the coach known as 'Razor' gets set to oversee his first Test match in charge of the All Blacks.

There is plenty of expectation upon the former Crusaders head coach, and Borthwick would like nothing more than to build on his win over Eddie Jones, by taking the 'W' on Robertson's maiden run at the helm. We expect a relatively unchanged side from the one which took on Japan, yet we've sprinkled in a few alterations ahead of the first New Zealand Test match. Here is RUCK's predictions on the England team to play the All Blacks, this Saturday in Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium.

As the old adage goes, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. We expect to see a level of consistency run throughout Steve Borthwick's back-three, for the first of the two Tests against Scott Robertson's new side. Borthwick's trio of flyers which he selected to take on Japan looks like the strongest option across the back-three, and we anticipate the England head coach to select the same contingent should the trio remain fit for the All Blacks test.

Feyi-Waboso and Freeman linked up well throughout the Tokyo test, presenting a confidence to cover each other in defence, when the alternating flyer pushed forward in attack. Feyi-Waboso got his scoring charts underway for the Summer, as he linked up well with Marcus Smith, to claim the fly half's wide pass and ground the ball in fine fashion. Freeman was also impressive, with a fine showing defensively.

The Northampton Saints man had a few heavy collisions with Jone Naikabula, and despite Freeman being the smaller dog in the fight, his perfect technique took down the powerhouse wing time and again. Rounding off the back-three is Freeman's Northampton teammate George Furbank, and the fullback had a solid outing against the Cherry Blossoms. Furbank utilised a variety of weapons in attack, as he stubbed through some neat grubbers amongst his regular tantalising footwork.

Once again, if it ain't broke. The Lawrence-Slade midfield partnership looks like the best option in Borthwick's playbook to unleash upon New Zealand. The centre axis impressed against Eddie Jones' Japan, with Lawrence's powerful line breaks complemented by the excellent distribution of Slade's passing. The 2024 Premiership Player of the Year was on fire against Japan, as Slade's classy playmaking split the threads amongst the defensive line, the Lawrence was more than happy to break through.

Slade contributed five points to England's impressive points tally out in Tokyo, in what was amongst the coolest catches of the Chiefs man's career. Slade timed his run to perfection, and met Marcus Smith's cross-field kick before crossing over the line. Slade's take was a dominant arial presence, as the centre effortlessly drifted out to the wide channel, to cap off the move from the training ground. Lawrence's top contribution in the win against Japan, saw him lay off a well-weighted pass to Smith, before the Harlequin ignited the afterburners through a gap and wheeled away to score.

We've decided to throw a spanner in the works for the opening New Zealand Test, with our only alteration of the England back-line coming at scrum half. Whilst we could have comfortably selected Alex Mitchell to lead the line after the win in Japan, we've given the nod to Ben Spencer, after the Bath halfback had a phenomenal run of form in blue, black and white this past season. Spencer was named in the 2024 Premiership Rugby Team of the Season, and will be eager to roll this momentum on to Test match form.

Spencer and Mitchell met in last month's Premiership Rugby Final, and despite Spencer coming out on the losing side of the score-line, the halfback could certainly be proud with his most recent outing on the pitch. Spencer was left out of the fixture against Japan, as Bristol Bears man Harry Randall was preferred for the second half in Tokyo. We can see Spencer getting an outside shout for the All Blacks, with Mitchell on the bench for the first Test.

Onto the most talked about position in the whole of English rugby, and we expect Marcus Smith to retain the 10 jersey for the first fixture against New Zealand. This leaves Fin Smith to be waiting in the wings with the 22 shirt, whilst there can simply be no ignoring the Harlequin's enigmatic performance as England's linchpin in Tokyo. Smith scored a pitch-scorching try, and contributed two direct assists against Eddie Jones' men. His miss pass and cross-field kick assists showcased his Test match versatility, as Marcus is tuning up an all-round attack for the All Blacks.

Moving on to the front row now, and we've made a selection alteration for Steve Borthwick's props. We believe that England will opt for experience ahead of the first All Blacks match, with the veteran duo of Joe Marler and Dan Cole getting another rep from the get-go against their old enemy. Marler lifted the tempo upon his 43rd minute introduction in Japan, as Bevan Rodd had a tough day at the office, upon his return from a lengthy injury lay-off.

The Sale Sharks loose-head required some medical attention just before the half-time break against Japan, with Marler introduced promptly after. Marler won two key penalties against Japan, once at the line-out and later at scrum-time. Our selection for hooker needs only a brief explanation, as England captain Jamie George gets set to lead his men on tour against the All Blacks. There is no moving the skipper from the starting XV, with Theo Dan once again waiting on the replacements bench.

Dan Cole is our choice to start at tight-head, in what would be the 113th England cap for the legendary Leicester prop. Experience can often prove invaluable at scrum-time, with Cole possessing all the knowledge of the 'dark arts', that can get an upper hand upon the All Blacks props. Cole knows what it takes to secure a rare win against the All Blacks, and will be crucial to England's early scrum success to calm the early nerves in Dunedin.

We would love to see Fin Baxter get the nod amongst the replacements, so that the Harlequin can make his England debut off the bench against the All Blacks. We have picked Baxter and Will Stuart of Bath to be the back-up props, with Theo Dan once again the understudy to his club and county mentor Jamie George.

Our predictions do not alter Borthwick's engine room, as should the two second rows stay fit for Dunedin, we can not see any better partnership than Maro Itoje and George Martin. Itoje comes into the fold, despite the questions being raised regarding the lock's on-field minutes this season. Should the second row be cleared to play, we see no other than the Saracen as a sure-fire selection to take the lead against the All Blacks, and occupy a vice-captaincy role ahead of the first Test in Dunedin.

George Martin is our pick to team up with Itoje, as the Leicester Tigers man had a solid showing against Japan in the locks. Martin has adapted well to his positional shift to second row, given his previous predominance at flanker. The Leicester man stepped up for the test against Japan, and has provided an equally adaptable fit in the absence of his Tigers teammate Ollie Chessum. With Charlie Ewels out of selection following his red card in Tokyo, England drafted in Saracens lock Nick Isiekwe. We expect an instant call-up for the second row, who takes a seat amongst our replacements.

Finishing off our predicted England XV to take on the All Blacks, we expect a slight shuffle amongst the back-row. England fans would love to see the re-assembling of the 'Under-Curry' partnership, that ran roughshod on opponents towards the tail end of the Eddie Jones era. Multiple injury lay-offs have prevented Steve Borthwick to utilise this dynamic duo from the start as of yet, but we could be set for the band to get back together in Dunedin.

Underhill was at his battering and bruising best against Japan, having seamlessly transferred his excellent Premiership form to the international stage. Underhill's Bath head coach Johann van Graan called the flanker 'world class' following the Premiership Final, and Underhill has managed to live up to the tag-line so far. Curry looked strong upon his international return, as despite only playing for less than a half for Sale this season, battled back from injury and made some heavy hits against the Brave Blossoms.

Then of course there is Ben Earl, and expect to hear the England number eight's voice echo around the indoor Forsyth Barr Stadium. Earl has made his intentions clear for the 2024/25 season, in how he wants to become the best player in the world and build upon his already impressive accolades. Earl is set to go head to head with Ardie Savea, in what is the perfect proving ground against the 2023 World Rugby Player of the Year. Expect plenty of fireworks on Saturday, with the two eight men at the heart of the action.

Of course, the altered approach to the back row means that Chandler Cunningham-South drops out of the starting XV. We have selected the Harlequin to take the number 20 shirt amongst the replacements, which in turn bumps Alex Dombrandt out of the match day 23. Cunningham-South's positional versatility is what gives him the nod ahead of his Quins teammate, as he is equally suitable to cover blindside flank and number eight, should the physical battle prompt a rearrangement of the back-rowers.

16. Theo Dan (Saracens)

17. Fin Baxter (Harlequins)

18. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby)

19. Nick Isiekwe (Saracens)

20. Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins)

21. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)

22. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)

23. Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints)