Farrell hits century against All Blacks
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Owen Farrell will become only the third English rugby player to reach a century of caps for his country when he leads out the team against New Zealand on Saturday at Twickenham.
Scrumhalf Ben Youngs, who is on the bench, and retired prop Jason Leonard are the other two to have reached that landmark.
Farrell captains a starting line-up that sees coach Eddie Jones take the unusual step of naming two No.8s, Sam Simmonds and Billy Vunipola in his back row.
Jones’ hope is this will give the team greater ball-carrying options.
Simmonds and Vunipola were first paired together towards the end of last Saturday’s 52-13 rout of over Japan.
Both players are specialist No.8s but Simmonds has been named at blindside flank for this weekend’s clash against the All Blacks.
England coach Eddie Jones said: “This fixture doesn’t come around too often and these are the games that players remember in their careers.
“New Zealand have had the upper hand over the years, but it’s been more balanced in recent times and the players have a chance to play their part in history.
“We’ve had a great week preparing for the game and the team is ready to go at them.
“We’re really pleased for Owen that he is reaching such a significant and special milestone. He is an excellent player and competitor and he is deserving of every cap.”
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Owen Farrell (captain), 11 Jonny May, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Jack van Poortvliet, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Sam Simmonds, 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ellis Genge.
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Will Stuart, 19 David Ribbans, 20 Jack Willis, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Guy Porter, 23 Henry Slade
Date: Saturday, November 19
Venue: Twickenham, London
Kick-off: 17.30 (17.30 GMT; 18.30 NZDT Sunday, November 20)
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Referees: Damon Murphy (Australia) & Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)
