England and New Zealand have both made one injury enforced change each for this weekend’s crucial Second Test in Auckland.
Steve Borthwick and All Blacks counterpart Scott Robertson on Thursday both named their respective teams for the concluding clash of the high-profile two-match summer series to be held at Eden Park on Saturday.
England’s solitary change comes in the front row, where Harlequins loosehead Fin Baxter makes his maiden international Test start in place of club team-mate Joe Marler, who was forced off early in last weekend’s First Test in Dunedin with a foot injury.
The experienced Marler was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the tour, with Northampton’s uncapped prop Emmanuel Iyogun flying out to New Zealand as front-row cover.
Baxter was sent on early for his senior England debut at Forsyth Barr Stadium after Marler’s blow and will now get his first start, with Bevan Rodd called onto the bench having been dropped entirely for the First Test despite starting last month’s 52-17 thrashing of Eddie Jones’ Japan side in Tokyo.
Those are the only changes to the England squad heading to Eden Park, with tighthead Dan Cole, 37, poised to earn a 115th cap off the bench that will see him surpass World Cup winner Jason Leonard as England’s second-most capped men’s player of all time, behind only Ben Youngs.
The All Blacks have also been forced into one change to their lineup, with scrum-half TJ Perenara sidelined with a knee injury that saw him taken off at half-time in the First Test.
The Scotland-born Finlay Christie will now deputise from the start, with uncapped Chiefs scrum-half Cortez Ratima promoted to the bench.
Beauden Barrett remains among the New Zealand replacements after a huge call made by new head coach Robertson for his first match in charge last weekend, while flanker Samipeni Finau has been cleared to start again having been taken off for a head injury assessment (HIA) in Dunedin.
England go to Auckland looking to bounce back from Saturday’s agonising 16-15 First Test loss that saw them lead with just over 15 minutes to play before All Blacks fly-half Damian McKenzie slotted over two late penalties to give the hosts a thrilling one-point victory in their first match since losing the 2023 World Cup final to South Africa by the same margin in Paris in October.
England have only ever beaten the All Blacks twice on New Zealand soil and not since just prior to their World Cup win under Sir Clive Woodward in 2003.
They can now only hope to tie the short series at Eden Park, a true rugby fortress where New Zealand are unbeaten for 49 matches in an incredible run that stretches all the way back to 1994.
