England soldier to battle ABs
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British Army lance corporal and Bath wing Semesa Rokoduguni will make his England debut against New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday.
Named on the right wing, 27-year-old is given a chance to build on some superb Premiership form for Bath, which has seen him score six tries.
Clubmate Dave Attwood, whose fiancée Bridget gave birth to their first child on Tuesday, starts his first Test for England since the tour to Argentina in June 2013.
Brad Barritt is handed the No.13 shirt, partnering Kyle Eastmond in a new-look midfield, while Anthony Watson is included in the match-day 23 for the first time to swell the number of Bath players to seven.
In the pack, a loose trio of Tom Wood, skipper Chris Robshaw and No.8 Billy Vunipola makes its seventh start as a combination. Finally, George Kruis will also make his international bow if he enters the fray from the replacements' bench.
England coach Stuart Lancaster said: “I am delighted for Roko. Wing is an extremely competitive position but he has pushed himself forward with his form this season and it’s great to be able to give him this opportunity.
“The same is true with Anthony Watson and George Kruis. I am sure they will contribute should they come off the bench.
“Dave Attwood has had an eventful week with the birth of his first child and congratulations to him and his fiancée Bridget. He’s back with us now and will be ready to go for Saturday.”
England will be back at Twickenham for the first time since beating Ireland 13-10 in March and Lancaster added: “The atmosphere is superb and the fans really give us a boost. We can’t wait for the walk from the coach to the changing room for what will be another great occasion.”
England: Mike Brown, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Brad Barritt, 12 Kyle Eastmond, 11 Jonny May
10 Owen Farrell, 9 Danny Care, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Chris Robshaw (captain), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 David Wilson, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements: 16 Rob Webber, 17 Kieran Brookes, 19 George Kruis, 20 Ben Morgan, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 George Ford, 23 Anthony Watson.
Date: Saturday, November 8
Venue: Twickenham, London
Kick-off: 14.30 (14.30 GMT; 03.30, Sunday, November 9 NZ time)
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Jérôme Garcès (France), Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
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