England head coach Steve Borthwick has claimed that selecting Henry Slade to face New Zealand in Saturday’s autumn opener at Allianz
Stadium is not a gamble. Slade is considered ready to face the All Blacks despite being limited to 55 minutes for Exeter this season due to
shoulder surgery, with his return coming against Harlequins on Sunday.
The 31-year-old centre, who has 65 caps, is a key component of the team’s ‘blitz’ defensive scheme, and Borthwick has seen enough to
hand him only his second appearance since the July game with New Zealand.
“Henry is a really crucial player for us. He is a veteran Test match player in excellent condition,” said Borthwick, who chose Slade over in-
form Saracen Alex Lozowski. “After having shoulder surgery, he has been able to run.” He’s as fit as I’ve ever seen him. He feels in terrific
shape. He is a very energetic player who will perform admirably on Saturday.”
Ben Spencer won the three-way scrum-half battle and will make his first start for England in seven Tests. A stop-start international career
spanning six years and included a cameo in the 2019 World Cup final has resulted in 81 minutes of match action. He has finally grabbed
possession of the number nine shirt after impressing season after season for Bath.
“This was a really tough selection decision because of the quality of the scrum-halves,” Borthwick told ESPN. “Ben has spent a significant
amount of time with the England team, including during the Six Nations and the summer series. That understanding is quite beneficial.
He is a very seasoned player. He knows how to perform on the greatest stages, which is vita
l. He’s a calm individual who leads his club.”
Borthwick stated that Ollie Chessum will miss the full autumn schedule, which includes matches against Australia, South Africa, and
Japan, following knee surgery on Monday. The Leicester forward was set to debut as a blindside flanker until he was hurt during the final
session of last week’s training camp in Girona. He is anticipated to return in time for the Six Nations.
Chandler Cunningham-South fills the position despite not being a regular starter for Harlequins this season, with Borthwick expecting the
hard-running youngster to continue his impressive debut year for England. Sam Underhill, however, is unable to gain a bench spot
despite being a member of the back row in all eight previous Tests this year, and his misfortune is compounded by his failure to be
designated one of the 17 recipients of an expanded elite player squad contract last week.
Borthwick explained that his absence is the result of an ankle operation early in the season, which has hampered his form for Bath. “When
you have an ankle surgery you can’t be on your feet and so much of Sam’s game is that constant work rate, particularly in defence,” added
the captain. “However, his link play in attack has improved. I’ve seen a significant improvement from last week to this week, which is
fantastic.
A six-two split between forwards and backs on the bench is intended to allow England to match New Zealand’s intensity up front in the last quarter, a part of their game that fell short in two close losses to the All Blacks in July.
George Ford fills in at fly-half after recovering from a thigh injury, while Ben Earl, who starts at number eight, will play inside center if necessary due to injury.
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