Fin Baxter will make his first start for England in place of the injured Joe Marler in the only change to England’s line-up for Saturday’s crucial second and final Test against New Zealand, live on Sky Sports.
The Harlequins prop came off the bench for his senior debut last Saturday in England’s narrow 16-15 loss to the All Blacks in the first Test in Dunedin, replacing Marler, who has a foot injury,.
Bevan Rodd is installed on the bench, where he joins Dan Cole, who is poised to make his 115th international appearance and become England’s second-most capped men’s player of all time after Ben Youngs.
England face the daunting task of attempting to become the first side to beat New Zealand at Eden Park for 30 years as they bid to level the series.
Fin Baxter has been added to the scrum for the crucial second and final Test in Auckland
“Eden Park is a stadium packed with history and with memories of great rugby encounters, and we are delighted to be playing there on Saturday in what I anticipate will be another excellent Test,” said England head coach Steve Borthwick.
“New Zealand has a formidable record at this venue, but with that comes the pressure of expectation. It will be interesting to see how New Zealand manages that expectation in front of a full house.
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Owen Farrell says despite the close result, England will have wanted to come away with a victory in their game against New Zealand that ended 16-15 to the All Blacks.
“I’d like to pay special tribute to Dan Cole who will become England’s second most capped men’s player of all time on the weekend.
“Dan has shown nothing but dedication and determination throughout his career, and reaching this milestone is a remarkable feat. He is a superb rugby player, a wonderful role model, and we all look forward to sharing a memorable day with him on Saturday.”
Scrum-half Finlay Christie is the only new face in the New Zealand starting line-up, replacing the injured TJ Perenara, with the uncapped Cortez Ratima taking his place on the bench.
England: 15 George Furbank, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell; 1 Fin Baxter, 2 Jamie George (c), 3 Will Stuart, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Martin, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Ben Earl
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Alex Coles, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Fin Smith, 23 Ollie Sleightholme
Watch the second Test between New Zealand and England at Auckland’s Eden Park on Saturday July 13 live on Sky Sports Action from 7.30am; kick-off 8.05am. Also stream contract-free with NOW.
