England full starting line-up vs All Blacks 'leaked' with Maro Itoje to start
Rugby NewsTuesday, 25 June 2024 at 09:52
Steve Borthwick is expected to stick with an unchanged starting lineup for the first Test against the All Blacks.
Join the RUCK’s WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
This means Marcus Smith will continue at fly-half, with the tactic of using No 8 Ben Earl as an additional centre in the latter stages of matches remaining in place.
Racing 92's Owen Farrell is not being considered, while George Ford is out with an Achilles injury, setting up a competition between Marcus Smith and Fin Smith for the fly-half role.
In their summer tour opener, Marcus Smith scored 13 points, including a well-crafted try from a set-play, leading England to a victory over Eddie Jones' team in Tokyo.
Last Kick Drop Goal celebrations from Marcus Smith of England with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso of England to win the match during the Guinness Six Nations Match between England and Ireland at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on March 9th 2024. - PHOTO: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK
“We’ve tried to focus on backing them and not worrying too much about them making mistakes,” Borthwick said. “We want them to just execute their skills because we’ve got talented players. It’s not necessarily been a natural aspect of our play and we’re trying to develop it.
"There is a real strength to the English nature about being hard to beat. But we also want an aggressive intent, to have that balance.”
Borthwick added, "Ben has the speed and the skillset to play almost anywhere on the field. In any unstructured situation, you back him. He’s got the skillset, he’s got the pace, and he’s also got a great rugby brain. His growth over the last year has been enormous, and he can still grow even more. It’s wonderful having the flexibility to move him into another role."
Expected England XV to face New Zealand:
15. George Furbank
14. Tommy Freeman
13. Henry Slade (vice-capt)
12. Ollie Lawrence
11. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
10. Marcus Smith
9. Alex Mitchell
1. Bevan Rodd
2. Jamie George (capt)
3. Dan Cole
4. Maro Itoje (vice-capt)
5. George Martin
6. Chandler Cunningham-South
7. Sam Underhill
8. Ben Earl (vice-capt)
14. Tommy Freeman
13. Henry Slade (vice-capt)
12. Ollie Lawrence
11. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
10. Marcus Smith
9. Alex Mitchell
1. Bevan Rodd
2. Jamie George (capt)
3. Dan Cole
4. Maro Itoje (vice-capt)
5. George Martin
6. Chandler Cunningham-South
7. Sam Underhill
8. Ben Earl (vice-capt)
Supercomputer predicts British & Irish Lions 36-man squad for 2025 tour
An artificial intelligence tool has made bold predictions in selecting the 36-man British & Irish Lions squad for their 2025 tour of Australia.
The series finale will be played in front of more than 80,000 fans in Sydney's Olympic Park.
The 2025 Lions tour fixtures in full
- Saturday 28 June: v Western Force, Optus Stadium, Perth
- Wednesday 2 July: v Queensland Reds, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- Saturday 5 July: v New South Wales Waratahs, Allianz Stadium, Sydney
- Wednesday 9 July: v ACT Brumbies, GIO Stadium, Canberra
- Saturday 12 July: v Invitational Australia & NZ XV, Adelaide Oval
- Saturday 19 July: First Test, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- Tuesday 22 July: v Melbourne Rebels, Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
- Saturday 26 July: Second Test, Melbourne Cricket Ground
- Saturday 2 August: Third Test, Accor Stadium, Sydney
The bolded players in our proposed Lions squad represent the starting XV, according to current odds.
2025 BRITISH & IRISH LIONS SQUAD (36)
2025 BRITISH & IRISH LIONS SQUAD (36)
BACK-THREE (6)
- Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland)
- James Lowe (Ireland)
- Hugo Keenan (Ireland)
- Tommy Freeman (England)
- Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (England)
- Mack Hansen (Ireland)
CENTRE (4)
- Bundee Aki (Ireland)
- Ollie Lawrence (England)
- Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland)
- Henry Slade (England)
Bundee Aki of Ireland on the break during the Guinness Six Nations Match between England and Ireland at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on February 23. - PHOTO: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK
FLY-HALVES (3)
- Owen Farrell (England)
- Marcus Smith (England)
- Finn Russell (Scotland)
Owen Farrell of England check out the pitch ahead of the Summer Nations Series Rugby match between Wales and England at Principality Stadium on August 5, 2023 in Cardiff, Wales. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK
SCRUM-HALVES (3)
- Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
- Alex Mitchell (England)
- Ben White (Scotland)
Jamison Gibson-Park of Ireland during the Autumn Nations Cup match between England and Ireland at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on November 21 2020. - PHOTO: Phil Mingo/PPAUK
PROP (3)
- Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
- Andrew Porter (Ireland)
- Zander Fagerson (Scotland)
- Ellis Genge (England)
- Joe Marler (England)
- Pierre Schoeman (Scotland)
Joe Marler of England during the Six Nations Match between England and Wales at Twickenham, London on 10 February 2024 (Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK)
HOOKER (3)
- Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
- Jamie George (England)
- Dewi Lake (Wales)
LOCK (5)
- Maro Itoje (England)
- Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
- Joe McCarthy (Ireland)
- Ollie Chessum (England)
- George Martin (England)
Maro Itoje of Saracens during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Saracens and Leicester Tigers at StoneX Stadium, London on Sunday 4th November 2023 (PHOTO: George Beck/PPAUK)
BACK-ROW (6)
- Caelan Doris (Ireland)
- Ben Earl (England)
- Josh van der Flier (Ireland)
- Courtney Lawes (England)
- Tommy Reffell (Wales)
- Sam Underhill (England)
Ben Earl of England celebrates after winning during the Guinness Six Nations Match between England and Ireland at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on March 9th 2024. - PHOTO: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK
TRENDING
LATEST NEWS
LATEST COMMENTS
Loading