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Steve Borthwick’s England revolution is set to continue at breakneck speed against New Zealand on Saturday, even without scrum-half pace setter Alex Mitchell.
The absence of Northampton No 9 Mitchell from England’s autumn squad due to a neck injury was a severe blow to Borthwick given he is crucial to the high tempo he wants his national team to play with.
But after naming Bath captain Ben Spencer to make his first England start at the age of 32 as Mitchell’s replacement on Tuesday, Borthwick hinted it won’t change the approach despite the two being very different players.
England hope to play quicker than the All Blacks and beat Scott Robertson’s side at their own game – something they failed to manage in July when they fell to a 2-0 series defeat.
‘Ben has been around the England team for a good period of time. I think that’s been a huge benefit. Ben is such an experienced player,’ Borthwick said.
Bath captain Ben Spencer has earned his first England start at scrum-half on Saturday
England head coach Steve Borthwick selected Spencer in lieu of the injured Alex Mitchell
Scrum-half Alex Mitchell remains sidelined with injury for autumn series clash with All Blacks
‘He’s played so many games in the Premiership. You saw the way he played in the Premiership final. I thought he was absolutely outstanding.
‘He’s a guy who knows how to deliver on the biggest of stages and I think that’s important. He’s a calm guy. He’s played in a lot of big games. We’ve got such a competitive position there with so many good nines.’
Critically, when asked to analyse Spencer’s game, Borthwick added: ‘I would also say the speed of ball increase as well has been noticeable over the last period of time.’
Since ripping up his team’s game plan and brining in a new, attacking approach earlier this year, Borthwick has prioritised speed of ball away from the breakdown as fundamental to success.
Spencer, who has been in supreme form for Bath for the past two seasons, has been urged to improve in this area and has done so to finally earn a starting spot.
Spencer made his England debut in 2018, but he has been an intermittent figure at international level since then. Saturday’s autumn opener will be just his seventh cap.
Spencer has been selected ahead of Leicester’s Jack van Poortvliet and Harry Randall. Bristol’s Randall – who doesn’t exactly struggle with a fast game – is on the bench.
Borthwick on Tuesday chose to name his team for New Zealand two days early after his players came through a tough afternoon training session.
The selection of Spencer – who has played just 81 minutes of international rugby in the six years since his bow – was the headline, alongside that of Henry Slade in the centre.
Slade has been deemed fit to start in what is a settled midfield alongside Ollie Lawrence despite him playing just 54 minutes of club rugby for Exeter this season following shoulder surgery. Borthwick denied selecting Slade was a risk despite his lack of game time.
‘He’s as fit as I’ve ever seen him. He’s in fantastic condition. He feels in great shape. He’s a player who is energised. He’ll go really well on Saturday,’ Borthwick said of Slade. ‘He is a really important player for us. He’s an experienced Test match player, now more than ever.’
Fly-half George Ford is one of the only back replacements within Borthwick’s squad
Harry Randall (left) is the only other in the England team ahead of facing New Zealand
Borthwick’s selection for New Zealand could be considered safe and unadventurous.
The team’s approach, however, in front of a sold-out Allianz Stadium crowd is likely to be anything but.
Saturday’s autumn opener with the All Blacks will be the first time the country’s men’s side will have played on home turf since the venue formerly known as Twickenham was officially rebranded by the RFU as part of a £100million sponsorship deal.
‘For some of these young players, I want this to be their home for the next decade,’ Borthwick said. ‘We’ve got a fantastic supporter base. I want the supporters to see how much these young guys are desperate for England to do well and that’s what we aim to see again on Saturday.’
England have won hearts and minds with their daring approach, one which peaked with victory over Ireland in this year’s Six Nations.
But after two narrow losses to New Zealand in the summer by the cumulative margin of just eight points, there is an acknowledgement among Borthwick’s players this autumn is time for narrow losses to become statement victories.
Borthwick has named six forwards on his bench for New Zealand with a view to ensuring his team doesn’t fall away in the final quarter as they did in both July matches.
Randall and experienced fly-half George Ford are the only back replacements.
Despite losing Leicester forward Ollie Chessum for the whole autumn campaign after he underwent knee surgery, Borthwick has been able to name a strong and powerful side.
Returning prop Ellis Genge gives a timely boost ahead of Saturday’s clash with the All Blacks
England rugby’s head coach Steve Borthwick named his squad earlier than anticipated
The return of prop Ellis Genge, who missed the summer tour, is a timely boost.
However, one wonders if England will be able to cope with New Zealand’s scrummaging power. The All Blacks might be rebuilding under Robertson, but their front row is fearsome.
The southern hemisphere giants will name their team for England on Thursday, but they are coming to the end of their first season under Robertson’s guidance and won’t be short of match fitness.
By contrast, five of England’s 23 in Slade, Chandler Cunningham-South, Dan Cole, Alex Dombrandt and Ford haven’t had regular Premiership action in the build-up to the November Tests. Borthwick is confident that won’t matter.
‘We expect him to be back and available before the Six Nations,’ he said of Chessum, who was expected to start at No 6 and has been replaced by Cunningham-South.
‘I’m really disappointed for him. He is really determined to get back better than ever.’
England side to face New Zealand (Kick-off 3.10pm, Saturday. Allianz Stadium): George Furbank, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Tommy Freeman; Marcus Smith, Ben Spencer; Ellis Genge, Jamie George (capt), Will Stuart, Maro Itoje, George Martin, Chandler Cunningham-South, Tom Curry, Ben Earl.
Replacements: Theo Dan, Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt, Harry Randall, George Ford
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