ENGLAND take on New Zealand in the first part of two Tests against the All Blacks this weekend.
It has been 21 years since Red Rose were victorious in New Zealand, when they won 15-13 in June 2003.
Steve Borthwick’s side prepared for the clash by beating Japan 52-17 last week – but star man Marcus Smith gave an almighty scare.
Smith went down clutching his leg after 54 minutes and was then shown a yellow card when he was on the deck.
The 25-year-old managed to limp to the sidelines and was replaced when his 10 minutes in the sin-bin were up.
However Smith has recovered and will start against the All Blacks in Auckland, retaining his place at fly-half.
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New Zealand vs England takes place on Saturday, July 6.
The match kicks off at 8.05am BST – this is 7.05pm local time.
The Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, Auckland plays host for the first Test.
The second Test is the following week on Saturday, July 13.
New Zealand vs England will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event in the UK.
Sky Sports get their coverage underway from 7.30pm.
England XV v New Zealand on Saturday: G Furbank; I Feyi-Waboso, H Slade, O Lawrence, T Freeman; M Smith, A Mitchell; J Marler, J George (capt), W Stuart, M Itoje, G Martin, C Cunningham-South, S Underhill, B Earl.
Replacements: T Dan, F Baxter, D Cole, A Coles, T Curry, B Spencer, F Smith, O Sleightholme.
All Blacks team to be announced.
England coach Steve Borthwick: “It doesn’t get more challenging than playing New Zealand at home, but it’s exactly where we want to be. We want to find out more about ourselves and test ourselves against one of the best teams in the world.
“Test rugby is a game of fine margins, so our mindset is going to be very important on Saturday. We’ll need to be mentally strong, play a tactically smart game and ensure we maintain our discipline. The Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin is a great venue with a quick surface, and the closed roof should make the atmosphere very special.”
