England reveal team to face All Blacks with Henry Slade fit to start

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Centre Henry Slade has been deemed fit to start by England for their Autumn Nations Series opener against the All Blacks at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

Slade, who has been recovering from shoulder surgery, was released from a training camp in Girona to feature for Exeter Chiefs on Sunday, playing 54 minutes against Harlequins in his first action of the season.

He partners Ollie Lawrence in a relatively settled side named by Steve Borthwick to take on New Zealand, with Ben Spencer getting the nod to start at scrum half ahead of Harry Randall and Jack van Poortvliet.

Chandler Cunningham-South retains his place on the blindside from the summer tour after an injury to Ollie Chessum last week, while six forwards are named on a bulky bench.

Flanker Sam Underhill, though, is not included in the matchday squad having started every England game so far this year.

“We’re excited for the challenge of playing against one of the best teams in world rugby,” said England head coach Borthwick.

“We’ll need to be accurate, keep our discipline, and maintain a level of intensity throughout the match, from the first whistle to the final moment.

“With just two games at Allianz Stadium in our last 15, it’s fantastic to be returning to play in front of our home crowd again. The energy and passion of our supporters always gives the team an extra lift.”

While George Ford is fit to make the bench, Marcus Smith keeps the reins at fly half, with half-back partner Spencer starting his first game for England in the absence of Alex Mitchell.

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Ellis Genge and Will Stuart start on either side of the front row, with youngster Fin Baxter and old head Dan Cole on the bench.

Tom Curry takes Underhill’s spot on the openside and is set to feature alongside twin brother Ben at Test level for the first time.

England team to face New Zealand at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (Saturday 2 November, 3.10pm GMT)

Starting XV: 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George (capt.), 3 Will Stuart; 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Martin; 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Ben Earl; 9 Ben Spencer, 10 Marcus Smith; 11 Tommy Freeman, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 13 Henry Slade, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso; 15 George Furbank.

Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Ben Curry, 21 Alex Dombrandt; 22 Harry Randall, 23 George Ford.