George Ford returns at fly-half for England to face New Zealand

George Ford will direct England‘s quest for a first victory over New Zealand in six years after being named in a team that sees the return of Freddie Steward and Tom Roebuck.

Ford is restored at fly-half for the Allianz Stadium showdown with Fin Smith dropping out of the 23 altogether despite pulling the strings in last Saturday’s 38-18 victory over Fiji.

Marcus Smith drops to the bench to provide playmaker cover with Steward taking his spot at full-back and Roebuck slotting in on the right wing.

Wing Tommy Freeman and second row Ollie Chessum have failed to recover from their respective hamstring and ankle injuries and will miss out on Saturday’s main event of the autumn.

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Seven changes

Roebuck fills the number 14 jersey while Alex Coles is the beneficiary of Chessum’s absence, forming a second row partnership alongside Maro Itoje.

In total, there are seven changes to the side that overcame Fiji with a final quarter surge made possible by the bench, which has been bolstered in anticipation of a finely poised battle in the closing stages against New Zealand.

Six British and Irish Lions are present, including a heavyweight front row of Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge and Will Stuart, as well as back row warrior Tom Curry.

Henry Pollock provides X-factor to continue his super-sub role, while Chandler Cunningham-South is picked as second row cover.

Emerging props Fin Baxter and Joe Heyes are given a vote of confidence after being handed the starting jerseys, but Sam Underhill injects experience into the pack after taking over at openside.

Special challenge

England’s last victory over the All Blacks was in the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup and they must cast their minds back to 2012 for their most recent triumph against their rivals at Twickenham.

However, their nine-Test winning run that has continued this autumn with wins over Australia and Fiji has helped them become marginal favourites for the Hilary Shield showdown.

“I’m pleased with the progress we are making. Without doubt, New Zealand are one of the best teams in the world and facing them is always a special challenge,” head coach Steve Borthwick said.

“Playing in front of a packed-out Allianz Stadium means a huge amount to the players.

“The support we’ve had throughout this series has been outstanding, and we want it loud again on Saturday.”

READ MORE: England sweating on fitness of Tommy Freeman and Ollie Chessum ahead of All Blacks test