![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/england-team-announcement-live-eddie-jones-picks-his-players-to-face-new-zealand/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/TELEMMGLPICT000316311886_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqOCXN0e_0o0Rwgm05-yb017gmvHHJY5ijNq8lzXAUrlc.jpeg&description=Eddie Jones picks his XV to face the All Blacks this morning, as England face an important examination of their progress before next year's World Cup. It is the first meeting between the teams since their titanic 2019 World Cup semi-final, when England delivered the best performance of the Jones era, setting a standard to which they are still striving to return. Not everyone was convinced by their display against Japan last week, so Jones will view this as the ideal game to silence the critics. Manu Tuilagi could be key and his occasional centre partner Henry Slade believes the All Blacks will be wary of the threat he poses after seeing him cut loose in their 2012 and 2019 defeats to England. "We have a really good relationship off the field and that translates on to it," said Slade, who played as a replacement full-back against the Brave Blossoms. "Manu's a great guy and what he brings to the team is pretty obvious in terms of how powerful he is. I don't think there's any other centre like him in world rugby. "In my view, he's the best player in the world because of what he can give you. "For a guy who doesn't do weights... he doesn't do any and he's one of the most powerful guys I've ever met, so it's pretty scary what he could be like. "It's not just about what he brings in terms of getting over the gain line, but the amount of space he can create for others by doing that and by being the threat he is. "If you go to the line, you have to respect that Manu could get the ball and bust you at any point. The headaches he must give defences is nuts. He's awesome to play with. "He has done great things against the All Blacks in the past, but he can do great things against any team. He is a hard guy to stop. "Having him in the team always gives you that bit of confidence, that good feeling. It's going to be a big weekend for him and he's a big guy for us." Live updates on the way shortly.){kind=link}
Chosen by us to get you up to speed at a glance
We’ll have the England team, Eddie Jones’s comments… and the New Zealand team to follow.
For England fans, there are four matches against New Zealand in the professional era that are indelibly imprinted on the mind: the pre-2003-World Cup win in Wellington; the flawless 2019 World Cup semi-final; the unexpected blitz at Twickenham in 2012; and the 25-8 loss at Old Trafford in 1997. That latter tussle is not remembered for anything involving an oval ball, however.
It was the day that Richard Cockerill, the former England hooker and current lieutenant of Eddie Jones, squared up to his opposite number, Norm Hewitt, during the haka. Many different responses to the haka have been witnessed since – from arrowheads to smirks – but Cockerill’s was, and remains, as notorious a skirmish as international rugby has seen.
The writing was on the wall. Even as the England hooker sprinted out from the Old Trafford tunnel, his face was apoplectic, screaming and spitting as he entered the field. Then, after the respective anthems, Cockerill boils over again, roaring at the Manchester crowd and flailing his arms as if to whip them into a frenzy.