England will be taking on New Zealand once again in their opening Autumn Nations Series match at Twickenham. The match is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Nov 2, with a kick-off time of 3.10pm GMT. For viewers in New Zealand, the match will start at 3.10am on Sunday morning.
In terms of team news, England’s Henry Slade has been chosen at outside centre after recovering from shoulder surgery. Ben Spencer will make his first start for England at scrum-half, with a strong bench featuring players like George Ford and Ellis Genge. New Zealand, on the other hand, will be without loosehead Ethan de Groot due to failing to meet internal standards.
Both teams have made significant changes to their starting XVs from their previous encounters. New Zealand will be captained by Scott Barrett, with Beauden Barrett continuing at fly-half. The All Blacks will be looking to maintain their winning streak after a comfortable victory over Japan last weekend.
The two sides will compete for the Hillary Shield, currently held by New Zealand after their two-Test series win in July. The last time they met at Twickenham, the match ended in a thrilling 22-22 draw. The odds for the upcoming match are England 6/4, New Zealand 4/6, and a draw at 22/1.
Despite England’s winless tour in New Zealand earlier this year, they have a strong team with promising young players. With home advantage this time, England has a good chance of securing a victory on home turf. Our prediction for the match is England 23 New Zealand 19. Twickenham’s atmosphere will undoubtedly add to the excitement of the game, and fans can expect a thrilling encounter between these two rugby powerhouses.
