Eddie Jones picks his XV to face the All Blacks this morning as England face a major scrutiny of their progress ahead of next year’s World Cup.
It is the first meeting between the teams since their mammoth 2019 World Cup semi-final, when England delivered their best performance of the Jones era and set a standard they are still striving to return to.
Not everyone was convinced by their performance against Japan last week, so Jones will see this as the ideal match to silence the critics.
Manu Tuilagi could be key and his occasional center partner Henry Slade believes the All Blacks will be wary of the threat he poses after seeing him go wild in their 2012 and 2019 defeats to England.
“We have a really good relationship off the pitch and it translates onto the pitch,” said Slade, who played as a substitute fullback against the Brave Blossoms.
“Manu is a great guy and what he brings to the team is pretty clear in terms of how powerful he is. I don’t think there is another center like him in the world of rugby.
“In my opinion he is the best player in the world because of what he can give you.
“For a guy who doesn’t do weights… he doesn’t do any and he’s one of the most powerful guys I’ve ever met, so it’s pretty scary how he could be.
“It’s not just about what he brings in terms of crossing the profit line, but the amount of space he can create for others by doing that and being the threat that he is.
“When you go to the line you have to respect that Manu can get the ball and destroy you at any time. The headache he has to give the defense is insane. He’s great to play with.”
“He’s done great things against the All Blacks in the past, but he can do great things against any team. He’s hard to stop.”
“Having him in the team always gives you that little bit of confidence, that good feeling. It’s going to be an important weekend for him and he’s a great guy for us.”
Live updates on the way soon.