England's captain will be joined in the midfield by Manu Tuilagi, who returns to the starting XV; Billy Vunipola to start at No 8, Sam Simmonds moves to blindside flanker and Maro Itoje slots back into the second row; Jack van Poortvliet and Marcus Smith form England's half-back pairing
Thursday 17 November 2022 13:48, UK
Owen Farrell will earn his 100th cap for England on Saturday when he leads the team against New Zealand.
Farrell will be joined in England's midfield by a returning Manu Tuilagi, who started on the bench against Japan in order for his game time to be managed.
Marcus Smith remains at fly-half with Jack van Poortvliet alongside him at scrum-half. Ben Youngs is named on the bench.
Vice-captain Jack Nowell has recovered from the abdominal injury that saw him miss last weekend's fixture. Jonny May and Freddie Steward will join Nowell in England's back three.
Fellow vice-captain Ellis Genge remains in England's front row with Kyle Sinckler and Luke Cowan-Dickie set to form a familiar front-row unit.
Behind them, head coach Eddie Jones moves Maro Itoje back into the second row to join Jonny Hill. Billy Vunipola is handed the No 8 jersey meaning Sam Simmonds shifts to blindside flanker and Tom Curry remains at openside.
The Test match on Saturday marks the first meeting between England and New Zealand since the 2019 Rugby World Cup when Jones' team triumphed 19-7 in the semi-final.
"This fixture doesn't come around too often, and these are the games that players remember in their careers," Jones said.
"New Zealand have had the upper hand over the years, but it's been more balanced in recent times and the players have a chance to play their part in history.
"We've had a great week preparing for the game and the team is ready to go at them.
"We're really pleased for Owen that he is reaching such a significant and special milestone. He is an excellent player and competitor, and he is deserving of every cap."
England: 15. Freddie Steward, 14. Jack Nowell, 13. Manu Tuilagi, 12. Owen Farrell (captain), 11. Jonny May, 10. Marcus Smith, 9. Jack van Poortvliet, 1. Ellis Genge, 2. Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3. Kyle Sinckler, 4. Maro Itoje, 5. Jonny Hill, 6. Sam Simmonds, 7. Tom Curry, 8. Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: 16. Jamie George, 17. Mako Vunipoa, 18. Will Stuart, 19. David Ribbans, 20. Jack Willis, 21. Ben Youngs, 22. Guy Porter, 23. Henry Slade.
Ahead of his captain's 100 international appearance, England head coach Jones was quick to recognise the way in which Farrell impacts the national side.
"If you look at his record, he's the third highest points scorer in the history of the game," Jones said.
"One hundred caps, he's won multiple titles with his club Saracens, he's won everything with England apart from the World Cup... whatever team he plays in, he makes [it] better.
"He's a tough, uncompromising player, who plays close to his best in almost every game I've seen him play."
He brings people with him, like Richie McCaw did for New Zealand. He brings people with him.
Brodie Retallick will also win his 100th Test cap on Saturday after being named in New Zealand's starting XV.
Retallick, who returns from suspension, will join captain Sam Whitelock in the All Blacks' engine room. The duo will set a new world record of 64 Test starts together. The previous record was held by Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield (63).
Winger Mark Telea has been retained from the line-up that faced Scotland and forms a back-three unit alongside Beauden Barrett and Caleb Clarke. Richie Mo'unga and Aaron Smith start in the half-backs with Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane together in midfield.
In the pack, Scott Barrett has moved to blindside with Dalton Papali'I and Ardie Savea also in the back row.
"We feel the squad has been building nicely throughout this tour," head coach Ian Foster said. "Playing England is something we don't get to do often so we are excited for the challenge.
"This is an opportunity to continue our growth as a team at one of the great venues in world rugby - Twickenham."
New Zealand: 15. Beauden Barrett, 14. Mark Telea, 13. Rieko Ioane, 12. Jordie Barrett, 11. Caleb Clarke, 10. Richie Mo'unga, 1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Tyrel Lomax, 4. Brodie Retallick, 5. Samuel Whitelock (captain), 6. Scott Barrett, 7. Dalton Papali'i, 8. Ardie Savea.
Replacements: 16. Samisoni Taukei'aho, 17. George Bower, 18. Nepo Laulala, 19. Shannon Frizell, 20. Hoskins Sotutu, 21. TJ Perenara, 22. David Havili, 23. Anton Lienert-Brown.
