Autumn Nations Series: Finn Smith dropped from England squad to face New Zealand as Ollie Chetham and Tommy Freeman miss out with injury Rugby Union News

England have made seven changes to their starting XI for Saturday’s Autumn Nations series against New Zealand.

Captain Maro Itoje, George Ford, Jamie George, Freddie Steward, Tom Roebuck, Finn Baxter and Sam Underhill all return to the XV.

Finn Smith started against Fiji but was left out of the squad completely, with Ollie Chetham and Tommy Freeman both sidelined through injury.

Head coach Steve Borthwick said ahead of the final game against the All Blacks: “I’m pleased with our progress.”

“Without a doubt, New Zealand are one of the best teams in the world and playing against them is always a special challenge.

“Playing in front of a packed Allianz Stadium means a lot to our players. The support we’ve received throughout this series has been outstanding and we’re looking forward to cheering loudly again on Saturday.”

England will conclude their Quilter Nations Series campaign next weekend when they take on Argentina at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

England national team plays against New Zealand

Starting XV: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Ollie Lawrence. 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Immanuel Faye-Waboso, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell. 1 Finn Baxter, 2 Jamie George, 3 Joe Hayes, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 5 Alex Coles, 6 Guy Pepper, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Ben Earl.

Alternatives: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stewart, 19 Chandler Cunningham-South, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Ben Spencer, 23 Marcus Smith.

More to come…

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